Pandora's Vault
by Signorina Sirena
Summary: This is the story of the Vault Hunters as they make their separate ways to Pandora for different reasons. They all grew up together and have since split up. Strange reunions ensue...
1. Chapter 1

The heavy heat wavered in the dry air. Mordecai waited, kneeling unobserved behind a wall of rock for his Bloodwing to come back. He checked his sniper rifle's barrel again out of boredom and tuned in to the yelling in the camp below. The lack of breeze easily transmitted the cries of some of Pandora's craziest inhabitants as they yelled obscenities at the hurtling mass of wing and beak.

"Now it's time for my pound of flesh!"

_They'll never get Blood_, thought Mordecai.

Another cry from Blood and he felt the familiar weight alight on his shoulder. He welcomed his pet with an affectionate bump on the head.

There was a light _whump_ of sound and Blood took off. Mordecai shuddered and turned his head slightly.

"You the one that's been following me?"

A snicker…a girlish snicker. He looked up at her and his eyes drank their fill from behind the red lenses of his goggles.

She had faint markings lining the left side of her body, running tantalizingly in and out of the spaces between the items of clothing hugging her lithe frame.

Something familiar tugged at the edges of his brain as he looked her up and down. He furrowed his brows underneath his hood and frowned.

She had faded hair and her eyes flashed in amusement.

"Mordecai."

His eyes widened. That nagging familiarity rose a little closer to the surface of his memory but remained hidden.

"You're in there somewhere, princess, I just can't…princess…Princess!"

He stood slowly and smirked.

"I never thought…hell…what in the hell are you doing following me, Lilith? It's too much blood out here for you. This world's crawling and you…"

"Can handle my own." She held out her hands and, in an instant, she was gone in a ball of electricity.

Mordecai's hand went for his holster and suddenly his wrist was enveloped in the grip of an invisible hand.

"Don't worry, Mord," Lilith's voice sounded in his ear, soft and close. He could feel her lips brush his ear. That strange barely audible _whump_ sounded again and he saw Lilith's hand encircling his wrist. Her long half-gloved fingers released their grip and he turned to face her.

"What are you?"

The corners of her lips turned upwards.

"What makes you think I'm anything different than what I used to be?"

"Nice art." He ignored her question and inclined his head to indicate her tattoos.

Her lips parted, revealing a dazzling smile.

"I can explain later. I'll tell you now though that they're the reason I can do what I can."

Mordecai nodded.

"What makes you think there'll be a later, Princess? Those guys out there are out for blood and they're between us and shelter."

"This." She disappeared and the slight sound made him shudder again. He raised his sniper rifle and focused on the camp of bandits and psychos that Bloodwing had raided a few minutes earlier.

Through the sight he watched as men were dazed left and right and, all of a sudden, Lilith appeared in the midst of them all. She raised a very nice Maliwan HellFire and let loose a volley of shot that exploded heads and made men burst into flame. Within seconds, the whole camp was ablaze and Lilith stepped from the smoke into view. She looked up at where she knew he was, blew him a kiss and disappeared again.

Mordecai looked up at Bloodwing, who was chattering on a rock high above him, facing the demolished camp.

"You did good, Blood. You did good." The bird tilted his head to watch his partner and decided to land on his shoulder again.

Mordecai stowed his sniper rifle in his holster, chose a revolver and started the trek back to New Haven, Bloodwing on his shoulder and revolver in his hand.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wow. You're not dead?!" asked the Claptrap stationed at the bounty board as Mordecai ambled over.

"I never die," mumbled Mordecai as he accessed the board and checked the status of the vault inquiry, which was still open and available. Turning, he bumped the Claptrap.

"You threw off my groove, man! I think I lost the beat…"

Mordecai shook his head and headed off down the main street as the Claptrap resumed beat boxing. He needed some quiet and realized he just wasn't going to get it as he passed Marcus' booming New Haven store and the bright vending machines called out to him.

"Is shooting bullets just not cool enough for you? Get a Maliwan and light some people on fire!"

He needed to think and knew a drink would help facilitate introspection, so he stepped up to the small bar located next to Marcus'.

As he started to step down the stairs just off the side of the counter, Blood took off, knowing when to stick around and when to be scarce.

Down in the dingy dark, Mordecai's eyes adjusted quickly and he chose a seat at the bar. A glass slid his way filled with his choice drink. He raised it to his lips.

"You've been here awhile if he knows your drink by now," rang Lilith's voice out of the dark behind him. He didn't turn to look at her.

"You've been here long enough that they're not gaping at your…assets." He took a drink and Lilith frowned, looking around at the heads ducking down to study drinks and papers intently. She shrugged and took a seat beside the hooded figure of Mordecai.

"I guess so."

Mordecai downed the rest of his drink and another glass was set down in front of him. He nodded his thanks and the bartender went back to the other end of the bar.

He could feel Lilith's intent gaze roving over him.

"Like what you see, Princess?"

She didn't start or even blink.

"Not sure yet. Want to go talk somewhere…nice?"

"Not nice enough for you down here?"

"Ok. Let me rephrase that. Somewhere where you can actually see what it is that I want to show you."

Mordecai glanced down at her left hand, which was so pale that it glowed while it rested on the bar, those strange tattoos emanating their own ghastly aura.

"You can show me anything you want, little girl. I'm all for it. You pick the place." He downed his new drink in one gulp and stood, turned and faced her for the first time since she made her presence known.

Lilith looked up at Mordecai from under her lashes and stood slowly, which placed a nice emphasis on every curve. The room went silent.

"My place. Now."

She stalked languorously out of the basement bar and up the stairs into the light, every eye including Mordecai's on her back and the part of her anatomy that her leather chaps highlighted very well. He followed as casually as possible.

A timorous voice broke the silence that Lilith had spread like a virus.

"Lucky."

Laughter erupted and the low din resumed as Mordecai ascended the stairs, smirking.


	3. Chapter 3

Out in the sunlight of the alley, he followed Lilith around a few turns, just paces behind her. Overhead he heard Blood cry out questioningly and he raised his arm for the bird to land on. Grasping the cuff angrily with his talons, Bloodwing chattered and Mordecai's smirk grew.

"No place for you, Blood. I'll call you." He quickly lifted his arm again and Bloodwing took off, crying out his indignation to the skies.

Lilith led him silently up a staircase near Dr. Zed's blood-spattered infirmary and down a short hallway to a banged up metal door. Facing the door, she glanced up at him, smiled and raised a hand to just above the handle. Her hand glowed faintly and, to Mordecai, the glow seemed brighter here in the light than it had in the dark of the bar. He heard a click from the lock and she opened it up. Mordecai raised his eyebrows under his hood. 

"Now that's a talent worth some use."

She smiled, baring her gleaming teeth and stepped inside, beckoning to him.

Once inside the apartment, she flipped on a bare light bulb and Mordecai was greeted with a sparse but clean room. There was a small table off to his right, near a kitchenette with a busted up fridge and an old fashioned oven, only a small counter between the two. Taking in his surroundings as he stepped in, he saw an overflowing bookshelf filled with data recorders and bunches of handwritten pages stacked on jagged shelves standing next to a closed door. Beyond that there were only two other rooms: another closed door and what appeared to be a bedroom.

Lilith gestured to a chair next to the bookshelf. "Sit."

Mordecai obeyed as she closed the door, locked it and turned to face him.

He crossed his arms on his chest and leaned back against the chair, watching as Lilith shrugged out of her tight vest. As she did, she stepped closer and dropped the vest on the ground. She reached up to the zipper on her faded yellow pullover and started to unzip it as she stopped in front of him. She pulled it off, letting it fall from her fingertips to the floor.

One of the straps on her pink tank top slipped from her shoulder and she lifted her hand to replace it, gently tracing the tattoos on her arm in the process.  
Mordecai's calm exterior was in serious danger of shattering as Lilith leaned down so that she was face to face with him.

He willed himself to keep his eyes on hers as she reached up and gently lifted his red-lensed goggles to the top of his hood. He kept his eyes opened and locked on hers as they adjusted to the strain of having the world come into true color. Lilith licked her lips lightly.

"Not everything's rose-colored, you know."

Mordecai was tempted to disagree as he was struck by the pink tint of her lips, cheeks and hair. He breathed in deeply through his nose, trying desperately to maintain his last shred of calm.

He watched as her washed gold eyes traveled down to his lips and she leaned forward agonizingly slowly. Mordecai raised an eyebrow and…


	4. Chapter 4

Lilith stood up quickly, laughing.

"How in the hell did you end up on this dust ball of a world, Mordecai? God…I haven't spoken your name in so long…it just feels good saying it. Mordecai. Mordecai!" She rushed a gloved hand through her short hair and smiled down at him.

He let out a long breath and put his arms behind his head to mask the disquiet she left him in. She paced over to the small kitchen and poured some water into a banged up teapot pulled from an overhead cabinet.

"Well?"

"I just did. You?"

"Oh…just following up on something I have to do. Something for me."

"Am I part of this something?" He asked.

"No, but when I realized that you were the one sniping every bandit camp within reach, I just had to talk to you. Did I startle you?"

He smirked.

"No, no. I just…" he trailed off and watched as Lilith moved around the kitchen.

She held the kettle over a burner and kicked the stove, forcing the gas on with a burst. She turned to him with the kettle poised just above the coil and said, "Watch this."

In an instant she disappeared and a fireball erupted where she once stood, lighting the gas underneath the kettle that seemed suspended alone in midair. The fireball lasted only a second before it vanished and Lilith was right back where she had been. She set the kettle on the flame and turned back to Mordecai.

"Now that's something you couldn't do before."

She frowned. "I thought you'd be slightly more impressed."

"Boiling water isn't something I'd be too proud of, Princess. Anyone can do that." His blue eyes glinted in the light of the bare swinging bulb.

Lilith dismissed his casual demeanor with an impatient wave of her half-gloved hand and walked toward him. She grabbed a wobbly steel chair, turned it and plopped down, resting her arms on the back of it. Leaning her head down, she set it on her crossed arms and looked at him.

"You know what I mean. I'm not going to spell it out for you. If I have to, it'll end badly for you." She smiled.

Mordecai leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands and dropping them between his knees. He shook his head as he stared at the floor, his dreadlock ponytail swishing.

"It's too much. Last time I saw you, you were…"

"13 and not quite as good looking. I know. I've changed a bit."

Mordecai shook his head. "No. You were someone I was always around. I gotta tell you I'm not into jumping back into that mess. I have other things I want done."

Lilith's smile dropped. "I understand, but that's not what I want from you."

In one swift movement Mordecai sat up and drew his revolver from his holster.

"Well?"

Lilith's eyes narrowed.

"You didn't have to draw on me. You know me, Mordecai."

"_Knew_."

Her shoulders dropped and she dropped her arms as well, holding them down so he could see her empty hands and the faded blue markings that ran up the left side of her body.

"I'm not a threat to you. I just want some information."

"Little girl, I'm not in the habit of giving out information, no matter who you were to me."

"I'm not asking you to give it to me. I want a fair trade. I have information you'd want."

The revolver was still aimed at her head.

"I'm not interested."

She glared, frustrated, her gold eyes accusing. "You were never this straightforward! What happened to you, Mordecai?"

He dropped the hand holding the revolver and shrugged. 

"It's too long to tell and, to be honest, I can't remember all of it."

Lilith nodded as Mordecai slumped in his chair and put his revolver back in its holster. "Tell me what you want to know and maybe I can help you. No promises."

"Fair enough. All right…tell me if you have seen anyone with tattoos like mine before."

"Looking for a touch-up?" Mordecai smiled up at her, but she didn't return the smile. Her eyes were locked on his.

He gave a heavy sigh and looked down at her left arm, still palm up and stretched out. The faint but unmistakable blue markings swirled up from her fingerless leather glove and ran wild up her arm, over her shoulder and down onto her chest, cresting above her breasts. On the skin revealed between her cropped pink top and her low slung chaps, the tattoos stood out against her pale hip. Mordecai thought with interest that it probably encircled the whole left side of her body, leg and all.

Lilith took his scrutiny without a second thought. She would never have asked for help from anyone else, but with one of her first friends so close, she couldn't resist unloading some of her restrained anxiety. Besides, it felt good to have familiar eyes roving over her body. Though Mordecai's eyes were no longer as kind as they once were, they still held a friendly spark.

"I've never seen these on a person before. Only on rocks." 

She mouthed the last word with him. 

"You've seen 'em too, Princess?" the familiar nickname jumping to his lips before he could stop it.

"Of course. I've been on this world for a long time and seen most of those damned ruins."

Mordecai was quiet. 

"I didn't get these voluntarily, however they add to my hotness factor."

Mordecai smiled a bit.

"I know how I got them and that's really not important, it's just…I'm looking for someone like me. I have a lot of questions that need answers and no one's talking."

Sharply she looked up at him.

"Tell me what happened to you, Mordecai."

Mordecai stood and reached up to pull his goggles down over his eyes again. _Whump._  
In an instant he was seeing just an empty chair as an invisible hand encircled his wrist. 

"Don't," she whispered in his ear. 

Despite his calm, he shuddered. 

_Whump_. She was there, standing practically pressed against him, keeping him from returning his goggles to his eyes.

"When we were kids, we were inseparable. We…"

"Were kids." He stared forward, as if seeing into his clouded past. "I don't remember it all."

She dropped her hand. Her eyes were dark as she took a step back from him. He turned his head and stared.

"Lilith. I remember you and I remember some of what happened. There are just a lot of holes now. I've worked as a merc for years and now most everything else is a bit skewed."

"Yujinny is dead."


	5. Chapter 5

Every outside sound stopped. All he could hear was the beating of his own heart pounding in his chest. He watched her pink lips move, but he couldn't hear her words. She stepped toward him and he put his gloved hand out to stop her, resting it on the tattoo centered on her chest. He blinked and lowered his head.

"What did you say?"

He could feel her chest rise and fall beneath his hand.

"Yujinny. Your teacher. The man I know you're looking for. He's dead."

Mordecai looked back up at her with narrowed eyes.

"Don't look like that," Lilith snapped. "He was dead long before I got here. I just know that's the information you're looking for."

"How do you know that?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I have these abilities…" Lilith trailed off and looked pointedly at him. Mordecai dropped his hand, his blue eyes falling to her dusty leather boots.

"Tell me what happened to you, Mord."

"I told you I can't." 

"I heard your name about 4 years after I left. You won a…a…contest." She fumbled through her own scattered memory. "Guns. The ISC. You lost the title after some dispute over the guns? I saved the article, but there wasn't much written out where I was."

"Yujinny taught me everything." 

"But you had abilities even as a kid, Mord. I remember shooting with you and Roland and Brick. I mean, Brick didn't do much shooting, but…" she smiled at the memory.

"Brick and Roland." Mordecai turned and dropped heavily into the chair by the shelf again. "Now those are names I haven't heard in years." He looked up at her quickly. "Are they still around?"

"I've heard about Roland, yes. Last I heard he was Crimson Lance here on Pandora. I've scoped out all the info I've gotten so far and haven't seen his name since that first mention. Brick, I haven't heard of since. His whole family seems to have disappeared. A shame really; he and Mandy were some of the nicest people I'd ever met."

"He had rage issues, didn't he?" asked Mordecai, holding his aching head in his hands. "I want to say he couldn't control himself."

"Well…hey." She stopped and sat back down, facing him. "Your memory is really fucked, isn't it?"

Mordecai laughed, something he hadn't done in weeks.

"I remember plenty, it just isn't always sitting where it should be, waiting for that recall, Princess."

She smiled and tilted her head coquettishly.

"You remember me."

Mordecai took another deep breath and raised his head, a smile on his face.

"You showed up and I knew I should have known you. I couldn't place you at all. Your nickname kicked at me until I got it. It's all there, it's just scattered. Little too much blood loss over the years, I guess."

"That and I've probably overshot any ideas you'd ever had of me growing up gorgeous. I mean…" she looked down at herself and back up at him. "Have you looked at me yet?"

"You've changed but your ego's the same, Princess."

"Eh. I just filled out is all."

"And the art." He indicated her arm. The pink color rose in her cheeks.

"And that. Don't get me wrong. I love it. I love what it did to me, but there's so much I don't know about it." 

"Eridians. That's what they call them here. That's the race that designed those ruins."

"I know that much," she said with an exasperated lilt in her voice.

"What all do you know you can do? I mean…is that it?"

"Oh. Psh…You can't do what I can, so don't play it off. You're interested."

Something clicked in his mind, but he couldn't bring it forward.

"You've said that before. Or…or something like it."

"Ugh. This is going to be so hard." Lilith stood up and paced to the stove, where the water in the pot had almost boiled away. She checked in it and, disgusted, set it back on the stovetop. She shoved her open palm toward it, which sent it flying into the wall with clang. Mordecai's eyes widened.

"Dammit. I always forget when I put some…oh." She looked back at Mordecai, who was staring at her, no longer smiling. "Force wave. It's part of the whole package deal."

Mordecai nodded and stood.

"Where are you going? Did I scare you?" Lilith put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow.

"No. Just to get Bloodwing."

"Oh. That bird of yours! You were always keen on birds, Mord. I figured you'd end up with one or two. He just for hunting?"  
Mordecai strode to the front door. "No. Peace of mind when I'm stuck out on the flats."

"You can bring him in here. Call him out on the porch." She ran over to a side door which she swung open to reveal a very small ledge lined with a rail.

"Porch?"

She smirked. "Well, sort of."

Mordecai smiled and headed out onto the "porch." Almost immediately a shriek sounded above his head. Lilith stayed inside, watching around the door.

Mordecai looked up and lifted his arm. With an elegant swoop of his bat-like wings, Mordecai's Bloodwing landed gracefully, bobbing his head. 

"See? Not so bad. She welcomed you in, boy." 

The bird chattered almost angrily and looked over Mordecai's shoulder at Lilith, who was standing, holding the door open. She bowed her head, the bird's gold eye locked with hers. Bloodwing turned back to his partner and clucked some.

"Not now, boy. Not now. We'll rest here some first."

He lowered his arm to the lone chair on the ledge and Bloodwing stalked onto the back of it, turned around and promptly took a large runny shit.

Mordecai smiled. "That's my boy."

Lilith stared at Mordecai and shrugged. "Eh. Not my chair." She turned and went to the bookshelf. Mordecai followed, closing the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

Once inside, he saw that Lilith was rifling through the data recorders and loose pages on the shelf in silence, so Mordecai walked around the small apartment.

The place was mostly neat, but dusty, and the messiest part of the whole place was the bookshelf she was rustling through.

"What are you looking for?" asked Mordecai as he stepped into what he assumed to be her bedroom. He sat down on the bed. She didn't look up, so he laid back and let out a long breath. It had been awhile since he last laid on a real bed.

"This," Lilith said, turning and bringing a few older looking newspaper pages into the room. She sat down beside him and tucked a leg up under herself as she scanned the pages.

Mordecai waited for her to share her information and, when she didn't, he brought himself up on his elbows, leaned back and just looked around.

The bedcover was a light blue and the blinds were a clinical gray. A shut door indicated a small closet, but there were no other visible personal effects to wonder at, so his eyes eventually landed on Lilith, who was sitting with her back to him.

The blue tattoos seemed more faded than before but were still there, circling around her shoulder and down the length of her arm. She had pink hair that was pulled to the right and faded from a dark shade of pink to almost white at the bottom; she wore faded gray jeans trapped under tight well-worn leather chaps. Her right leg bounced and the light from the holster she wore glinted in the bright light of the open window to their left.  
Mordecai dropped back onto the bed.

"What do you carry?"

Lilith looked over her shoulder at him.

"You really want to know?"

"Show 'em."

She tossed the pages on the floor and crawled over to him on her hands and knees across the mattress. She reached a hand to her holster and summoned her Combustion HellFire.

"This…" a Blast Death. 

"…this…" a Volcano.

"…these…" as several more Maliwans hit the bed.

"Any questions?" She was still on her hands and knees, leaning toward him as he laid on the bed, arms behind his head.

"Nope. Elemental tech."

Lilith sat back and re-stowed her weapons. "Of course. They just get the job done better."

Mordecai nodded and closed his eyes.

Looking back up at him, Lilith tilted her head. 

"Take your hood off."

Mordecai remained quiet.

"You don't need it here. Take it off."

He smiled with his eyes still closed and pulled his hands out from behind his head and laid them on his chest.

"First you take my lenses off and now you're demanding to see my face. Makes a wary person wonder about your intentions."

Lilith raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, to be honest, I remember you being good looking. I just wanted to see if you grew out of it or not."

His smile spread.

"I don't recall you thinking that when we were kids."

"You wouldn't because I didn't. I probably fooled myself in all these years..."

She trailed off and sat back on her heels.

"Well?"

Mordecai sat up, lifting his hands to the lower part of his hood.

Lilith smiled. She was getting what she wanted and that always pleased her to no end.

A loud bang resounded from the front door.

Their heads jerked towards the front room.

"What the hell..?" said Mordecai. 

_Whump._

Lilith disappeared and Mordecai watched as the depression in the bed lifted. Her voice came from the front room, quietly.

"Open it. It'll confuse them if you do it. They're expecting me."

Mordecai shrugged and pulled his goggles on. He liked confrontation, so he accepted her course of action, unholstered his revolver and headed toward the door where the banging continued in pulses.

He had a vague notion that Lilith was right behind him as he pulled the door open a few inches.


	7. Chapter 7

"Can I help you?"

As Mordecai peered out of the door, he saw a huge muscle-bound bulk of a man wearing a black wife beater shirt, blue jeans with a large chain and a belt as well as a set of dangling necklaces, one with a dog's paw. His head was shaven, covered in blonde stubble and he had a large scar on the left side of his face, stretching from his upper lip to his cheekbone. The fist that had been banging on the door was covered by a glove with adornments of broken screws on the knuckles.

"Who are you?" grunted the giant.

"I'm here for the fun," smirked Mordecai.

The giant grunted again. "I'm here for the girl."

Mordecai was still smirking, staring at the giant's scarred lip. "Same thing."

With an anguished sounding growl, the large man punched his fist into the space between the door and the doorframe, aiming for Mordecai's throat.

He howled as Mordecai ducked and pressed his body weight into the door, catching the giant's massive forearm. The steel door groaned and so did the giant as he reached around with his other arm and slammed it against the heavy door, creating a massive dent. All of Mordecai's body weight (which was only 150 pounds at his heaviest) could not contain the force and the door knocked him out of the way as it swung wide open.

As he fell backwards he fired a couple of shots with his revolver that hit the huge man in the shoulder; it didn't faze him and he stepped forward is if nothing had happened. In the instant the giant set his foot over the threshold, he shuddered as a wave of energy slammed into his face and chest. The same energy blast knocked Mordecai back into the wall right as he was taking another shot, sending the revolver spinning out of his grasp, the shot missing wide.

The huge man stopped as Lilith appeared between the two men, her palms facing him. The giant blinked for a second in obvious confusion. Mordecai was still on the floor and he shifted to a sitting position, rubbing his head where he'd hit the wall and slid down. The giant noticed the movement and surged forward past Lilith, grabbing Mordecai by the throat and lifting him bodily off the ground.

"Brick!" shouted Lilith as she slammed the newly dented door.

"Urggh…what's this guy doing to you?" howled Brick.

She walked forward and put her hand on his arm, he turned to face her.

"Brick! It's Mordecai!"

Brick looked up to Mordecai, who was calmly dangling from the hand that was cutting off his airway. He turned to Lilith and then looked back at Mordecai, squinting up into the masked face.

"Hmmm…no. This creep is hiding."

Lilith rolled her eyes. "Then have him take the mask off, dumbass."

Brick cut his eyes at her playfully. "You sound like Mandy when you call me that."

A smile broke on her face. "That's good. That's very good." Her smile turned down at the corners.

"Now could you let him breathe? He's about to pass out."

Mordecai could feel his eyes widening in increased pressure as he was set back down on his feet.

"Take it off," grunted Brick, indicating the mask with a flick of his large finger. Mordecai controlled his urge to gulp down breaths of air and lifted his hands to his mask, working the laces underneath his hair. Slowly he regained his breath as he raised his goggles and worked the worn leather of his mask up and off of his face. Brick scowled and Lilith watched with interest.

He had clear suntanned skin and his dark dreadlocks were tied up into a ponytail at the back of his head. His slightly tilted blue eyes glinted and shone extraordinarily out from his face.

A smile crept up the corners of Lilith's mouth. Mordecai saw the movement on her face and raised an eyebrow.

"Like what you see now, Princess?"

"Guess your good looks were all in my head."

Mordecai smirked and then turned to Brick. "You convinced, big guy?"

Brick was smiling from ear to ear. "Reunion! What a reunion!" He landed a massive paw on Mordecai's shoulder which took all of the smaller man's efforts to stay standing upright. Mordecai flinched inwardly.

"So you've hunted me down, Brick," said Lilith who circled slowly around him in contemplation. The large man shrugged and turned to face her as she looked up, smiling at him. "Which is more than I can say for my efforts on your part. I wondered what happened to you."

"I've been out for bounties," said Brick as his face clouded.

"And Mandy?"

"Gone. Have you heard from her, Lilith?"

"Brick, I haven't heard from either of you since I left Prometheus the first time. When I came back on my own, everyone was gone. I've been in and out of these past ten years or so just trying to find scraps of all of you. I figured Pandora would be my best bet when I found out Roland enlisted in the Lance. They've got a major presence here, if you haven't noticed. I was out going through Lance outposts when I heard rumors about some mysterious sniper on the edges of some of the settlements." She turned and looked at Mordecai. "I had to have a look for myself and realized that there was really only one guy in this 'verse who would snipe with a revolver and a bird on his shoulder."

Brick shook his head and glanced down at the two small people he'd grown up with. Lilith had turned out pretty, tattooed and in charge while Mordecai hadn't changed at all. He'd only gotten taller and now hid behind a mask. He was still a runt. Ugh. Brick was still no closer to finding his little sister and that killed his good mood.

His hopes were raised tremendously when he heard a girl matching Lilith's description was living sometimes in New Haven and he decided to come and at least see for himself; Mandy was the only female deemed worthy enough of Lilith's attention and friendship, despite his sister's younger age, and he hoped Lilith had heard something from Mandy since his sister's unpleasant departure from his house. His disappointment that she knew nothing about Mandy's whereabouts hit him hard and his head was throbbing. Any number of bullets could hit him and not faze him, but anything having to do with Amanda killed him inside. The pain was palpable and his heart beat in his ears, drowning out the playful questions of his childhood friend.

"…Brick…Brick!" He was standing stock still and Lilith waved a hand in front of his staring eyes to bring his attention back to the right plane. His clear watery blue eyes refocused on her as she motioned to a chair.

"Sit. Now."

Brick obeyed. Mordecai watched with his arms crossed in front of his chest as the large man sat in the small chair. The image struck him as funny and he resisted the urge to laugh.


	8. Chapter 8

Once seated, Brick didn't seem nearly as huge. If anything, the strange calm that was now upon him made him seem more vulnerable, less forbidding. Mordecai thought he remembered that Brock had always been large, that…_Brock!_

"Brock." Lilith and Brick turned to him with questioning looks for breaking the silence. He shook his head and looked away. 

"Just remembering." 

He wasn't lying. First her nickname and now his real name. _At least something works._  
His brain flashed images that were tied to the name Brock: a freakishly large boy digging holes in the red dirt back on Prometheus…a pretty little blonde girl with clear blue eyes holding the larger boy's hand…Lilith and Roland's shocked young faces staring at Brock's open and bleeding lip…a fist slamming into his own chest. Mordecai put a hand to his sternum as he remembered the pain. 

"I like Brick better," said Brick. "Only Mandy calls me Brock anymore." 

Lilith had moved over to the small table and was leaning on it. She pushed off it and made her way to the bedroom to retrieve the papers she'd abandoned when Brick pounded on her door. 

"I always thought everyone was calling you Rock. I didn't get that your name was Brock until I cheated off you in spelling. That was a mistake. Honestly, I'm surprised you got your name right." She smiled as she flipped through the pages again. 

"I didn't care. I knew you were." 

"Yeah right. Oh!" she held up one of the pages. "Here it is! That article, Mordecai!" 

He walked over and took the page she offered him. It was an older page from a newspaper. He scanned it quickly and his eyes fell on the words "Sharpshooting" in a small article in the corner of the page, above an advertisement for Tediore. 

_**Talk about Missing the Mark! Scandal at ISC**__  
The winners of the 200th Annual Interplanetary Sharpshooting Competition were announced just this morning. Yes, that's right. Winners. You read correctly. In a series of unprecedented events, the second winner was announced as the first was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct. The original winner, 17-year-old Mordecai Velasquez from Spar City on Prometheus, was cited for berating his opponents and using an unsanctioned weapon; the teen had been shooting with only a sighted Jakobs "Bloody Unforgiven" revolver against his adversaries' sanctioned rifles. It seems that there were no rules broken with his choice of gun, but the change in weapon type appears to have given the teenager an unfair advantage over the other competitors. The new official winner is 20-year-old Connor Ramsey from Harbinger on Prometheus. _

"Show me." Brick reached out and Mordecai handed it to him, shaking his head. 

"I do remember that," said Mordecai. 

"You took off like Lilith did," said Brick, handing the article back. "No goodbyes. Not even Yujinny knew where you were. I wanted to kill you. You broke Mandy's heart." 

"I never broke anyone's heart," snapped Mordecai, glaring at the large man. 

Brick grinned. "Yeah, well…she got over it and so did I. That's why you're still alive." The grin grew wider until he yawned. He leaned back to put his arms behind his head. Blood oozed from the shots Mordecai put in his shoulder, but Brick didn't seem to notice and Mordecai wasn't inclined to remind him. 

The fact that Mordecai had broken Mandy's heart was news to Lilith.  
_What the hell happened after I left? _She eyed Mordecai's lanky figure, curious. 

Putting a hand to his forehead, Mordecai closed his eyes. "I need a drink." 

"We all do. How about one from, say…Shotz over in T-Bone Junction?" Lilith's eyes flashed with gold fire. 

"That place is full of Lance," said Brick. 

"I know. If you haven't noticed, we've begun this delightful reunion and we should probably finish it by finding our fourth party. Where there's Lance, there may be at least a hint of where we can find Roland." 

She smiled widely at the two very different men facing her. She was excited by the prospect of reuniting with her whole small group of friends; once they found Roland, they'd work together to find Mandy. Lilith's heart raced and she actually craved the interaction. For someone who had grown used to being alone again after years of separation from her few friends and even her family, this sudden chance at closeness consumed her thoughts, even overshadowing her own goals for finding out more about her amazing powers. 

Lilith had been a lonely kid, an only child. Her parents couldn't handle her temper, wild tendencies and growing ego, so they let her do as she wanted; she definitely did.  
At school, she was put-offish and condescending, finding most of the other kids much too boring to suit her tastes. She made no friends and pretended that it didn't bother her. By the start of the second grade, most of the other kids knew her and ignored her. That is, until the new student showed up. He was a skinny, dark-haired child with bright blue eyes, a quiet nature and slight accent. His name was Mordecai and he came from the Spar City orphanage. The other kids immediately leaped on him, degrading him for his orphan status and mocking his accent. He seemed to ignore the teasing and didn't say much, which suited Lilith fine. The day she introduced herself, she told him straight out that he would be her friend. He stared at her red hair and golden eyes and smiled the whole time. 

It didn't take her long to adjust to having someone to talk and play with; she enjoyed it very much, more than she thought she would have. Mordecai's pensive nature and quirky sense of humor complimented Lilith's bossy yet playful personality and the two were always scheming some mischief.


	9. Chapter 9

One day, Mordecai brought in a slingshot and he and Lilith took great delight in hiding and flinging small rocks at the other children during recess.

At one point, Mordecai aimed a shot at a rather large boy named Brock, who was intently digging a series of holes in the rust-colored sand. The shot hit him square in the middle of his forehead and he didn't even notice as he kept on digging. Mordecai aimed another shot at the larger boy's left ear while Lilith laughed out loud next to him. The pebble grazed Brock's earlobe and he swatted his head, smacking the side of his face as though he were trying to kill an insect. Mordecai was grinning like an idiot as he grabbed another rock and aimed, Lilith laughing and wiping the tears from her bright gold eyes. Just as the pebble began a fast track to Brock's face, a trash can lid was raised in its path, knocking the rock harmlessly to the ground.

The lid lowered to reveal a dark-skinned kid named Roland, who was one of the usual class leaders. He was smart and forthcoming, always honest and one of the first to raise his hand during lessons. He was frowning at Mordecai, who ducked down behind the rusted out runner he was hiding in. Lilith was still laughing so he put a hand over her mouth. She bit him and he pulled away.

"What?! Why'd you do that?"

"He saw me."

"Who?"

"Roland."

She frowned. "That's not good."

"No shit." Lilith's eyes went wide. Mordecai was the only kid she knew who cussed and she liked it.

"Shit, shit, shit!" She muttered, glancing to her buddy for approval as she peeked over the edge of the runner.

Mordecai and Lilith watched with bated breath as Roland turned and headed toward where their teacher was smoking a cigarillo and chatting with another teacher. All of a sudden Roland stopped, turned to the runner and smiled widely in Lilith and Mordecai's direction. He turned back around and headed over to Brock, who was now dropping ants into the holes in the dirt.

When he got to the large blond boy, Roland started talking and crouched down next to Brock. Mordecai ducked when Roland pointed in his direction. Lilith couldn't look away as Brock furrowed his brows and got up. He headed in their direction with Roland in tow.

Lilith ducked down beside Mordecai, who was calmly readying another pebble for launch as he sat on the old runner's floorboard.

"They're coming over here."

Mordecai nodded, rock at the ready in his slingshot.

BAM. "Why'd you do that?" It was Brock, banging his fist on the runner's roll cage.

"Do what?" asked Lilith, sitting next to Mordecai. She smiled up at Brock.  
He didn't smile back.

"You hit me. With that." He jabbed a finger at Mordecai's slingshot.

Mordecai smiled, still looking at his slingshot. "Nope."

Brock looked back at Roland and Roland nodded.

"Yes you did."

"Nope."

BAM. He slammed his fist down again. "YES you did!" Brock was getting angry.

Roland stepped up to the runner and leaned down. "I saw you, Mordecai. Don't lie."

Mordecai stood up, his head sticking up through the roll cage. Lilith scrambled to stand next to him.

"I'm not," Mordecai said.

"The rock didn't hit his ear. It just went past it. So there." Lilith put her hands on her hips and stuck out her tongue.

Roland thought for a second while Brock brought his fist down on the runner again. BAM.

"You coulda hurt me!" growled Brock.

Roland reached up to tap the big kid's shoulder. "Hang on, Brock, I…"

Mordecai hopped quickly up onto the frame of the runner and Brock reacted, slamming his fist into the center of Mordecai's chest, knocking the boy down hard onto the ground on the other side of the runner.

Lilith hopped out and dashed around the car to Mordecai. Roland did the same. Brock slammed his fist on the car again and started to calm down, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, like his doctor told him to.

Mordecai was down and out for the count. Roland looked up to see that the teachers were talking with their backs to the students. "He's gonna need a medic."

Lilith poked Mordecai's arm. "He's dead." Her gold eyes were wide and it looked like she was going to cry; Roland definitely didn't want that. He kneeled next to Mordecai, grabbed the boy's wrist and started to chafe it.

Lilith hadn't started crying but she sniffled. "What're you doing?"

"Imma make him wake up. Saw my daddy do it once."

With a cleared head, Brock headed around the car to see his victim.

"Did I kill him?" he asked quietly.

"Yes!" Lilith stood up and punched Brock's arm. "You're awful! You killed him!"

Brock looked down at her. "You have pretty eyes."

"Shut up! I hate you!" She punched him again.

"That doesn't hurt," said Brock. Lilith hit him harder.

"Stop it," said Roland. "He's alright."

Lilith stopped mid-punch to look down at Mordecai, who stirred and groaned, tried to cough and wheezed. Lilith sniffled, followed through with the punch and sat down next to her friend.

"If you woulda killed him, I woulda killed you. He's my only friend." The little red haired girl sniffled again and wiped her nose on her wrist as she watched over Mordecai, who was still wheezing from his prone position on the ground.

Roland sat back and looked at the little girl across from him. "You don't have no other friends?"

Lilith watched as Mordecai opened his eyes, winced and continued wheezing. "No," she said. "Don't need 'em."

Roland considered this for a second. "Tell you what, he's still gonna need help." He looked earnestly at Lilith. "You don't say nothing about why he's down and I won't say nothing about what y'all did. Deal?" He looked down at Mordecai, who hadn't moved, though his eyes were open and he was still having trouble getting a full breath.

A tear hung at the corner of the little girl's gold eye and she sniffled again, sending it sliding down her cheek. She wiped it away. "What about stupid skag brain?"

Roland looked back up at Brock, who was watching Lilith.  
"He won't say nothing. He doesn't wanna get in trouble again."

Brock nodded. "Right."

Another tear slid down Lilith's dirty cheek and she nodded. "Ok."

Roland hopped up and grabbed Mordecai's slingshot, stuffing it in his pocket as he ran over to the teachers, yelling to get their attention.

It was a few days before Mordecai was back in class, but when he returned, he found the other two boys waiting for him with Lilith. He was a little jealous of sharing Lilith's attention, but he soon grew to accept their new places in the little group. It was the start of a fast friendship. Within a week, the children were inseparable, playing, fighting, laughing and scheming together.

_Always together_, thought Lilith with an internal smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Mordecai and Brick didn't say a word.

"Well?" She put her hands on her hips.

"What's in-"

"Don't ask what's in it for you, Mord. Trust me." Mordecai nodded. Lilith turned to Brick. "How about it, big boy?"

Brick yawned again. "If we find Lance, we find Roland." He paused, his brows furrowed.

"If we find Roland, he might know about Mandy." The cogs fit together. "Ok. Let's do this."

Lilith crossed over to the window and looked out. "Dark cycle or light?"

"Dark," said Brick. "I like seeing the whites of their eyes in the dark." He gave a sinister smile.

Mordecai shrugged. "Fine."

Lilith turned back to her friends. "Then we've got about 10 hours to get our shit together. You guys travel?"

"Only when I don't care if people notice where I'm headed, so no. They monitor the fast-travel system, Princess."

She tossed her pink hair. "I don't care if they know where we're going. In fact, I want them to think we've got nothing to hide. Which, to be honest, we don't. Yet."

"I use it," said Brick, staring at Lilith.

"Hold on." They both turned to Mordecai. "You got a plan for what we're doing?"

"Not exactly, but we'll figure it out as we go along. We never had a plan when Roland wasn't around, why start now?" Her eyes were bright and her pink cheeks stood out on her pale face. Mordecai looked away as Brick yawned again and stood up.

"I'll be back before it's time. I think I'm going to come and stay here, near you. I like it here. When Mandy gets here, she'll wanna be by you, too." He headed to the front door, blood trickling down his back. Both Lilith and Mordecai saw the ooze and stared, looking away guiltily when he turned back to face them. "Uh, you could do something for me?"

Lilith nodded. "Sure."

He dug into the back pocket of his jeans, pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Lilith. She shot him a questioning look.

"Just put it on the bounty board." He pulled open the door and headed out into the heat of the day. "I'll be back."

Mordecai watched over Lilith's shoulder as she opened the folded paper. A pretty pale face with wide clear blue eyes smiled out at them.

Missing! Amanda Raye, 23, 5'4", Eyes:Blue, Hair:Blonde, Last seen wearing: Brown shirt and Leather pants, Last seen: South Gate.

She had none of Brick's harsh lines, but their eyes were almost identical. Mordecai stared. These same eyes had watched him grow up, had followed him everywhere once they discovered him.

Once the group of four kids became a constant, one day Brock came in to their clubhouse holding the hand of a younger girl with a blonde ponytail. She was sucking her thumb.

"Sorry. Mom made me bring Mandy."

Roland sized the little girl up quickly. "Alright. No prob! She can be the backup for our next mission!"

Roland was always up for anything. He grabbed his favorite old map and started erasing the details of their latest "mission" out to the caves on the edge of the sludge lake.

"She can't." said Mordecai, looking down at her, crossing his arms. "She's too little."

As soon as Mordecai spoke, Mandy's wide eyes were glued to him. Maybe it was his strange accent or maybe his bright blue eyes, but Mandy liked him instantly. The little girl dropped her brother's hand and walked toward Mordecai with her free hand outstretched to him.

"Aww! She likes you!" Lilith giggled.

"She does not," cringed Mordecai.

"Yeah. She does that to anyone she likes." Brock snorted.

Lilith held out her hand to the 5-year-old. "Eh, he's not gonna hold your hand, Mandy. I will. We girls need to stick together."

Mandy's brows furrowed as she looked up at Lilith, glanced back at Mordecai who looked away pointedly, and took the older girl's hand.

"You wanna be the backup?" asked Lilith. Mandy shook her head no. "You wanna be with me up front?" Mandy looked back at Mordecai. "Ohhhh…I see. You wanna be with Mordecai! I'm stuck with him, but you can join us. Can't she?"

Mordecai frowned. "She's only gonna get us in trouble."

Brock smiled. "Nope. She gets me out of trouble! She's cute! One time I took a candy and when I was gonna get caught, Mandy started singing and dancing. Mom forgot all about the candy. It was good, too."

"Mordecai, she's alright. I'm tellin' ya, we need backup and Lilith'll take her. No big." Roland didn't like conflict and Brock was right, the little girl was adorable. He smiled at her. He liked being older for once.

"She won't be with us long," said Brock, nodding. "Mom said it was just for today. Her teacher got stomped by a rakk hive and they're gonna get a new one soon."

Mordecai looked back down at Mandy, who was still sucking her thumb and staring at him. Lilith swung the little girl's hand and grinned at Mordecai. He rolled his eyes, staring out of the clubhouse window at the rakks circling high in the sky. _She's gonna get hurt._

When he first had those thoughts at 8-years-old, Mordecai had no idea that one day they'd actually prove true. She was a baby and they were all older, doing more adult things like breaking into forbidden places and exploring the unknown; of course she'd get hurt. They all would. _That's life._

Frustrated with the scattered memories floating to the surface of his mind like dead fish, Mordecai walked away from Lilith, who was still gazing at Mandy's face. "You gonna go put that thing up or not?"

Lilith shot him a look. "You got a problem with me taking my time? I haven't seen her in, what, 15 years? I've only got one data recorder with her on it and no pictures." She bent her head back to the picture and Mordecai watched her. She was smiling gently as she folded the page and put it in her own back pocket. The smile faded as she turned to face him again.

"You have data recorders?" He asked.

"What do you think those are?" She waved at the jumbled bookshelf across from her.

"I'm going to go put this up." She walked to the door and turned, one hand on the handle. "You should listen through them. It might help you…you know. Remember." Her gold eyes sparkled. Mordecai turned away.

"I might just do that."

She turned the handle and then turned back to him.

"Don't steal my shit, alright?"


	11. Chapter 11

Mordecai grinned. "We're right back where we left off. I'm trusting you, you trust me."

Lilith smiled and headed out, slamming the door behind her. Mordecai waited for a few seconds before striding to the bookshelf. He didn't touch anything, but he leaned forward, taking in the 20-some data recorders and scanning the scattered newspaper clippings and random loose pages. Most of the articles didn't have dates, but the ones that did dated back to after his initial friendship with Lilith in second grade.

The articles all dealt with big events like the ISC winners every year, the traumatic death of a teacher by rakk hive, gun manufacturer takeovers and buyouts…the list went on. No matter what his mind took in, Mordecai kept returning to the data recorders. _She said she had one with Mandy on it. _

He reached a gloved finger out to one labeled with the number 5 in white paint. He vaguely remembered that Lilith started bringing a recorder with her not too long after Mandy started tagging along with Brick.

Pressing play, he could hear laughter and the screaming of rakk. He could practically see the abandoned red shack they had used as a clubhouse, the rakk circling around outside, their maps and everything on a lone table inside the shack.

"Don't! DOOON'T!" a little girl's voice intoned, whining a bit. More laughter.

"Mordecai! Get the big one!" yelled a louder male voice. A repeater pistol sounded in the distance, rakk screams failing to drown it out.

"Hooah! All right!" Mordecai smiled. _Roland._

"Stop it! Pretty!" the little voice yelled again.

Another young female voice shushed the little girl. "Hey hey…Mandy, it's ok. Those things eat little kids! You don't wanna get eaten! Mord's watchin' out for you. That's all."

"Eat me?" Mordecai could hear the doubt and the growing concern fighting in her small voice.

"Yeah!" He could see the young Lilith shaking her head, trying to convince Mandy, Lilith's selfish tendencies overpowering her concern for the little girl she cared for.

"Trust me. I know this stuff."

Mordecai leaned on the shelf, listening, surrounded by the echoes of their shared childhood. He heard more gunshots and rakk noises mixed with the young voices gleefully engaged in watching the killing.

"Yeah! Yeah! Ooh! Good!" _Monosyllabic Brick. Of course._

A scraping sound as the data recorder was being moved. Muffled movements. The girls' voices echoing, like they were in a hole. Under the table, maybe.

"It's ok, Mandy. They can't get you here. Stay here and Mord'll kill 'em all. He won't let nothing hurt you. Brock'll make sure you're safe when it's ok. Got me?"

"Mmhmm." Mordecai could almost see the little girl, blue eyes wide, thumb stuck in her mouth, nodding earnestly at Lilith, trusting her.

"Kay. I'll go help!" Running footsteps muffled by the tamped down dirt. Rakk sounding off farther away. Lilith's voice joining in the boys' glee. More quick rounds and the rakk ceased screaming.

"Boom!" said an accented young voice. His young voice. The adult Mordecai nodded, approving of his younger self.

"You got 'em! Next time, I get to do it!" yelled Lilith.

"Maybe we can take turns," said Roland. "It's Mordecai's gun, though."

Mordecai nodded again, smiling as he pressed stop.

It had been a Vladof BLR4/V3 Bad Repeater. Thing jumped like a bitch, but the he could practically see the hair on the rakks through the sight. At least, he'd thought so as a kid. He didn't know what it was when he got it, but he'd know it anywhere if he saw one again. He'd never use one now, but it still held a place in his heart as his first weapon. Funny, but he'd never forgotten that.

He'd stolen it from one of the older kids at the orphanage, just to try it. He planned on returning it until he found out how much his friends liked it.

A step sounded on the landing outside the door and Mordecai sat quickly in the chair, drawing a Thanatos from his holster, holding it down, ready to aim and fire quickly.

"Knock knock," said Lilith on the other side.

A second passed and the lock turned, followed by the handle. Lilith stepped in and shut the door behind her. "I'm exhausted," she announced as she stepped on her discarded vest, turned and picked it up. She stepped toward Mordecai and retrieved the yellow pullover she'd dropped during her impromptu striptease. Mordecai reholstered his repeater.

"Scooter caught me when I was hanging Mandy's poster. That guy can talk like no one else. I ignored him, but just those couple of seconds made my head hurt. I can shoot all day long without a headache, but give me a few seconds with him and I'm out." She shook her head and walked into her room, throwing the garments on the bedside table and falling back onto the bed. Mordecai watched her easy movements. She really had picked up right where they left off. He stood and walked slowly toward her, stopping at her bedroom doorway and leaning on the frame. She was rubbing her eyes and stopped, covering her face with her hands.

"Less than 10 hours 'til we go. Better rest a little." Lilith said through her hands.

Mordecai nodded, turning and heading to the front door. Lilith hopped up and Mordecai turned to face her, an eyebrow raised.

"You're welcome to the floor." She slammed the bedroom door. Mordecai smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

The fading light stretched his shadow out, ludicrously lengthening his already tall frame. It raced along behind him as he jogged around the inside perimeter of the compound, keeping an eye out for the ever present watch. He timed everything as he breathed steadily in through his nose and out through his mouth.

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6…_

He ducked behind a supply crate and looked back toward the energy bridge. As he reached the count of 3, the bridge flickered once, twice and then disappeared. The air was eerily silent now that the energy wasn't flowing to keep the bridge intact. He switched back on the Com system in his helmet and stood up.

"What in the hell…hey!" he spun around dramatically, looking for the watch. He saw one of the two soldiers at the vending machine. "Private! Hey you! At the vendor!" The soldier turned and motioned to himself. "Yeah, you, stupid. You know why the bridge is down?"

"Uh, no. No, sir."

"Don't you sir me, Private! This your first watch or something?"

The soldier gulped audibly. "Actually, yeah, uh, yes. Sir."

Roland put his head in his hand, shaking it. "Whatever. Just tell me why the bridge is down."

"Wha-" The soldier looked over his shoulder at where the bridge should have been. "OH MY GOD!"

Roland heard the click as the soldier switched to an all-call.

"This is Private Carson asking permission to speak to Corporal Reiss."

A sigh came over the system. "Granted. Speak, Carson."

"Sir, the energy bridge to Road's End is down. I repeat, the energy bridge has been deactivated. Am I missing something, sir?"

"It can't be, it…WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE, PETERS?" yelled the Corporal.

Roland grimaced and turned his system down a little bit. Running footsteps came up behind him and he turned to see the other half of the watch approach. The other soldier reached an armored hand up to Private Carson's head and slapped the back of his helmet.

"You dunce! I give you ten minutes alone so I can use the head and you've let someone infiltrate the system!" He switched to all-call as Roland stood there, hands on his hips, tapping his foot.

"Sir, I was using the head when the bridge cut out. Carson was on watch for both of us."

"Unacceptable. Come see me in my office NOW. I'm sending replacements for your watch. Reiss out."

Roland shook his head and privately contacted the corporal.

"Specialist Thompson requesting permission to speak privately, sir." Roland waited.

"Granted. Just make it fast."

"Sir, the bridge is down. Your replacements are stuck if they're coming to relieve the watch from Road's End."

A long pause.

"F***." Another pause. "Specfour, check out the bridge on your end. See if you can't at least tell me what's wrong. Tell those two imbeciles to continue the watch indefinitely. I'll call in reinforcements from the Tollway. Tell the moron twins that if they deviate from their posts, they're going to COD without weapons. Got it?"

Roland was watching Carson and Peters mime out their private Com conversation with lots of finger pointing, head shaking and shoulder shrugging. He smiled. "Yes, sir."

"Reiss out."

Roland switched over to reach the nearest Com devices, which were Carson and Peters.

"HEY!"

The two arguing soldiers pivoted to face Roland.

"Reiss just gave me orders to tell you that you're both to keep on the watch until the reinforcements arrive. Then you're gonna stay here until he tells you otherwise. I'm going to go check out the remote backup of the energy bridge out in the Sea. If y'all don't comply, you're going to COD minus your guns. You hear me?"

Both nodded as Roland chuckled and said, "I wouldn't wanna be you."

He heard a gulp as he about faced and headed toward the entrance out to Sunken Sea. A Lancer vehicle pulled up right as he was heading through the gate. _Good timing_, thought Roland as he trotted over to the vehicle.

"Soldier! I'm TCing this vehicle. You got a problem, ask Corporal Reiss. He'll setcha straight." As the soldier hopped out, Roland teleported in and revved the engine.

_They'll never notice_, thought Roland as he took off his helmet and headed out across the plains of Sunken Sea. He looked up at the slowly sinking sun and pressed the ignition for the afterburner. _Time is bullets._


	13. Chapter 13

The purple aura swirled inside of Brick's head and also surrounded his large, muscular body while a familiar faint wooshing sounded all around him. He flexed his bulging biceps and smiled. He was completely ready for anything they ran into; he was ready to do anything to find Mandy. The wooshing picked up and then died instantly as his feet hit the ground inside the transportation hub building at T-Bone Junction. Before he could blink, Lilith and Mordecai were standing on either side of him.

Mordecai stretched and eyed Brick. "Why are you smiling?"

Brick instantly frowned. "Nothing you need to know."

"Boys, boys," said Lilith as she stalked ahead of them, stretching her legs out with every step. Mordecai and Brick both followed her steps with their eyes, their gazes lingering on the way her jeans and chaps clung to her curves. She turned at the doorway leading out into the waiting room and faced them. They both looked away quickly; Mordecai inspected the wall and Brick gazed up at the ceiling. She smirked. "Can we go now?" She turned and followed the lit arrows to the door that led to T-Bone Junction as the two men paced quickly to catch up.

Outside, the wind surrounded the travelers just as the purple aura had during their Fast Travel trip. It whipped Lilith's pink hair across her face as she looked around, deciding which way to go. The dark was almost oppressive, broken only by the flashing neon lights scattered randomly about, advertising the various ramshackle business ventures. The fluorescent colors flooded their immediate areas, filling the void of night while the moon glimmered far off in the distance.

Mordecai was glad of his goggles as he watched the wind steal the tears from Lilith's large gold eyes. He followed with Brick next to him as she made up her mind and turned left, heading toward the bright lights of Shotz bar. As they passed the bounty board, Brick pulled one of his Mandy posters out of his pocket, stole the pushpins from a nearby Atlas wanted poster that went flying off with the wind, and stuck his poster to the board. He stepped back to survey his work and nodded. Mandy's pretty face with her bright, clear eyes smiled back at her older brother. _I miss her. I will find her.  
_  
Lilith stepped up to the bar and motioned to the bartender, who was well covered in a mask and goggles to protect him from the wind. He handed her a bottle and she passed it to Mordecai, who was looking over at Brick. Lilith tapped the hunter on his shoulder with the bottle and he turned to face her. Taking the bottle, he asked, "What do you think happened?"

Lilith shook her head. "Not sure. All I know is that they were real close. You rem-" She looked up at his blank red-lensed gaze. "No. I guess not. Well-" She grabbed another bottle and took a swig. "They were. He'll tell us in his own time. That, or I'll just ask him." She shrugged and Mordecai nodding, drinking. Lilith pushed away from the bar walked over to stand next to Brick.

"That's quite a powerful lady friend you have there," said the bartender. Mordecai raised his eyes from his drink.

"Yeah?"

The bartender's eyes looked Lilith's back up and down. "Yeah. I seen her sister. She's nothing to mess with, but this one looks a might nicer. Maybe."

Mordecai covered his shock by taking another long swig from the bottle. "Mmm. Not really. Sister do something to you?"

The bartender lowered his dust mask and raised his goggles to reveal two very black eyes.

Mordecai raised an eyebrow, nodding. "Yeah. Not bad."

The bartender smiled, showing off a few missing teeth. "Theeeese too."

"She did all that?"

The man's smile disappeared and his brows furrowed. "Hell no! Her damn guards did that before she shocked the hell out of me with some electric something-or-other. All I said was I liked her tattoos. Damn. I was out for almost a whole day. I woke up and the damn place was raided clean empty. Good thing Marcus likes my business or I'd be out of-" He stopped. "You don't work for that sister, do you?" Mordecai shook his head. The man nodded, reassured, and raised his chin toward Lilith. "I ain't never seen any of y'all off duty before. What's she rank?"

Mordecai thought quickly. _Tattoos. Sister. What the hell?__ He had known her parents. She was definitely an only child. Those two had thought of her as their "legacy insurance." As a child, she had said it often enough with a certain amount of pride before she really found out what it meant.  
_  
"Lieutenant." It was the first rank he could think of. Roland's father had been one. _Shit._ He didn't even know what a Lieutenant did. "We're not actually off duty though." Mordecai paused, letting the words sink in, hoping the bartender would fill the holes in his bluff.

"Ohhh..." The man smiled and leaned toward Mordecai. "I gotcha. In cognition." He winked.

"Something like that," grinned Mordecai. The man nodded again, thinking himself in their confidence.

As he put his empty bottle down, Mordecai beckoned for the bartender to lean in closer. "How'd you guess they were sisters? We try to keep that quiet. You're very perceptive. We like that."

The man's smile grew wider, making his missing teeth even more apparent. "Those same nice tats all up on their goodies and whatnot. I'm guessing some sister thing they did when they was younger. Me and my brother did something like that when we were feeling all buddy buddy way back when. 'Course...uh...he's dead now and all. Anyways, uh...where was I?"

"Tattoos, sisters..." prompted Mordecai.

"Oh yeah. She had two guards with her, this one's got you two here...that just yells it out to me. I pay attention like that." He tapped his head. "It's all up here."

"Did she...disclose her rank to you? We try to keep that secret, too."

"Oh yeah. Well, she musta known you don't want it out there and all, but them idjits that beat the crap outta my face? They called her Commandant. Hey. Will this get them in trouble?" The man's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"Oh yes. Especially if they said her name. Did they?"

"Steele. Commandant Steele. She spoke funny, though-"

Mordecai cut him off, standing up straight. "Different fathers."

"Thought it was something like that."

"You'll get something for your troubles when she comes back. Just ask her." Mordecai turned and took a step toward Lilith and Brick at the bounty board. He could hear the murmur of Lilith's voice floating over with the wind. Brick wasn't saying much.

"Oh sure...uh...you wanna know what those two asked about? Is it secret, too? They talked a lot. Anything I can do to make it harder for them's worth it to me."

Mordecai turned to face him again, curious. "Sure."

"They gave me this and told me to put it up before they beat me up." He handed Mordecai a poster. "Well, before I was trying to be nice and spike up a conversation all civil like. I like art like anyone. I can like tattoos and not make it all about looking at her goodies. Though, just between you and me, they were real nice though, I mean-"

"Thank you. You'll be compensated later."

"Welcome, mack. Any time. Oh, and your drinks are on the house. I'm serious!"

_Desperate fool, _thought Mordecai as he looked down at the poster and froze. After a few seconds had passed, he glanced up and walked over to Lilith and Brick. They turned.

"You ready?" asked Lilith.

"You had the right idea, Princess."

"Huh?"

"Comin' here."

Mordecai handed her the poster. Her eyebrows shot up and her golden eyes widened.  
It was an Atlas wanted poster with Roland's picture right in the center.

WANTED FOR DESERTION AND MURDER OF A CRIMSON LANCE OFFICER  
$100,000,000.00 REWARD


	14. Chapter 14

"What?" asked Brick, rather loudly.

Mordecai glanced over his shoulder at the bartender, who was pretending to wipe the already shiny counter; Mordecai could practically see the man's ears straining for their conversation. He shot a look at Brick and motioned for the group to move forward. Lilith folded Roland's wanted poster, stuck it in a pocket on her vest and took the lead, taking the group into Scooter's garage.

"Hey, y'all. Welcum!" drawled Scooter as they entered. "Nice ta see you again, lady! And ya brought your friends. Hey, I know them. Didn't know y'all knew each other. Well, I guess maybe she knew you there in the mask, after what I heard went on in the bar in New Haven." He winked. "MmmmMm! You're lucky, man. Lucky! But not lucky like Lucky was lucky, him being dead and all."

"Is that right?" asked Lilith, completely uninterested as she bypassed the front desk and headed straight for the Catch-A-Ride in the side bay. Mordecai followed her, ignoring the chatty mechanic.

Brick stopped at the desk. "What do you mean, lucky?"

Scooter's eyes lit up. He wasn't being ignored for once. "What, you mean Lucky like the person or lucky like…well, lucky."

Brick shook his shaved head and glanced over at Mordecai and Lilith. She was choosing the specs for the vehicle and Mordecai had turned to face him. Brick thought better of the question he was going to ask and instead said, "The guy. He's dead?"

"Yeah, I killed him. Don't act all surprised. I told you I was gonna do it!"

"Yeah." Brick nodded. "You did."

"We're leaving," said Lilith as the Lancer vehicle she chose appeared in the bay. She walked over and pressed the teleportation button on the side, which sent her directly into the driver's seat.

"Y'all be careful out there. Place's a wreck with them walkin' buckets hangin' around," called Scooter as Mordecai hit the button that would teleport him into the gunner's seat. The engine revved and the turret swung around as Mordecai got familiar with the set up. 

"Hey," Scooter reached out and tapped Brick on the shoulder. "Don't leave 'em in that car alone too long. It's a bit roomy, if you know what I'm sayin' and I don't wanna have to clean it out no more'n I gotta." He laughed. Brick smiled as he turned back to the car and headed for the teleportation button, his thoughts circling madly in his head. _Lilith and Mordecai. Alone. Not for long._ For once, thoughts of Mandy were taking second place in his one-track mind.

Inside the vehicle, Lilith honked the horn. "What the hell is he talking to that yokel for?"

"Mm. Dunno." Mordecai swiveled the gun and smiled. _Smooth._ Turning back around to Lilith, he asked, "You got any family out here?" He watched her profile as she smiled and looked over her shoulder at him. 

"No. My parents took off for Aquator the minute I was old enough to care for myself and were killed in the last tsunami. Why?"

"No cousi-"

Brick teleported into the mine seat and cut Mordecai off. "I'm here. Let's go." He frowned as Lilith drove out, turned and headed toward the Tollway. "Where we going?"

"Well, since this is the first area with the posters, I'm guessing this is where Roland's little incident took place. We need to find out more details and the only ones who know those are gonna be Crimson Lance. We gotta talk to them and find out for ourselves." She nodded in finality.

Mordecai smoothed his beard in contemplation. As he did so he could feel Brick's steady gaze practically boring a hole in the side of his face. He turned to the large man in the mine seat. "You good?"

Brick narrowed his eyes and Mordecai raised an eyebrow. ". Gimme one of them Lance and I'll get our answers, no problem." A slow smile spread as the intensity Brick's eyes faded.

Lilith kept her eyes on the road as she detailed her hastily figured plan. "I'm thinking we make it to the first Lance outpost on the road and get in some kind of trouble…something light. Not enough for an all-out fire fight, but enough for detainment and questions. Anyone up for a little looting?"

Mordecai smirked. "Always."

"Yeah!" yelled Brick. "I need me a new gun. Mine are getting beat to crap."

"I wonder why," muttered Mordecai.

"Ok. Let's just get there and see what we can do to get into some light trouble." She was focused on the road, her half-gloved hands guiding the wheel.

"Not a problem," said Brick, cracking his large knuckles. He grinned as he turned back to Mordecai, who raised his chin in acknowledgement before turning back to Lilith.

He gazed at the back of the driver's seat. "Hey, Princess. You got any cousins, distant relatives, anyone out here?"

"Why do you keep asking? And no, no I don't."

"Well, when you two were having your little chat, I was talking to the bartender, who said that the one circulating Roland's picture was a woman who looked an awful lot like you, same tattoos and everything. She mean anything to you?"

The car's front end dipped quickly as Lilith slammed on the brakes and hastily put the vehicle in park. She turned around in the seat and looked dead at Mordecai, her gold eyes wide and serious. "What's her name?"

"Steele. _Commandant_ Steele."

"Commandant?"

"She's high Lance, Princess."

Brick eyebrows furrowed. "How does that guy know her family?" He locked an intense questioning look at Lilith. "You go with him, too?"

Lilith shook her head in frustration. "What? No, she's not my family. She's the one I've been looking for." The anger that flared in her features dissipated as quickly as it rose. She shrugged flippantly, turned around and sat back in the driver's seat. "You could say we share a background." She put the car back into drive and watched carefully as she passed several Lance drone outposts. Mordecai watched the posts through the sight of the Eridian cannon mounted on top of the vehicle.

Brick eyed his companions as he spoke. "She talked to me."

"Who did?" asked Mordecai, his eye still glued to the sight. 

"Steele."

Lilith sped up a little as another Lancer passed in the left lane. "Why would she talk to you? You get in trouble with the Lance?"

Brick shrugged as he toyed with the buttons surrounding the mine seat. "Not really. She didn't like it when I killed Sledge."

Mordecai sat back and stared at Brick. "You mean she didn't like it when you took the Vault key piece from Sledge." Brick turned slowly.

"You too?"

Mordecai nodded.

Brick thought for a second and opened his mouth to speak, but Lilith interrupted. "Don't mean to break up the inevitable fight, but we're here." The men turned to look as the vehicle slowed, coming to a stop next to a rundown bus with a Lance barricade around it. A red weapons chest was perched on top.

Mordecai raised an eyebrow. "We're looting this bus, Princess? Doesn't seem worthy of any trouble to me."

"I told you to trust me." She hit the teleportation button and was gone.

"I trust her. Why not you?" asked Brick as he hit his button, too.

Mordecai shook his head and teleported to the side of their Lancer. Lilith was already on top of the bus, opening the chest. Standing next to Brick and the vehicle, Mordecai looked around. He stepped around the car and stood in the middle of the road. A familiar whirring interrupted the otherwise calm atmosphere out on the highway.

"Just shields," called Lilith. "And they're shit, too." She grabbed one and stowed it in her holster. The whirring grew louder as she tossed two others down to Brick. "Mord, here's yours. I'll hold it for you." Mordecai nodded and pulled a static shotgun from his holster.

"I wouldn't worry about that, right now, Lilith. We've got company."

A pair of bright red Lance drones zoomed into view.

"You are trespassing on Lance property. Please remove yourself from the area," intoned one of the pair.

"You are trespassing on Lance property. Plea-" BAM BAM! Two quick shots from Mordecai's shotgun overloaded their circuits and blasted through their shields. They fell smoldering to the ground as Mordecai turned to face his companions. Brick frowned.

"Damn. I wanted to punch one. I like it. Their metal crunches good."

"You'll probably get your chance, Brick. Here come some more. How are you at hitting cars, though?" Brick turned to Lilith, who raised her hands at the pair of drones and the Lancer vehicle approaching from the left.

Brick smiled. "Ooh…I'm good."

"Hey. You three," called a voice on a loudspeaker coming from the vehicle. "Drop your weapons and put your hands up. You're in violation of the law. You are being arrested."

Brick growled and broke into a quick trot, heading straight for the vehicle.

"Hey! I said stop!"

Brick raised his right arm as he jumped up and brought his heavy fist down onto the vehicle's hood, downing the car and cracking the engine block. At the same instant, Lilith pulled out a Lightning Stinger and sent a quick blast into one of the drones and turned to the second, which was now transmitting a loud siren of warning, arming the turrets behind the group. She fired and brought it down as the siren cut out immediately. 

Mordecai heard the turrets rising from their concrete bunkers and he dropped his shotgun in his holster, raised his Liquid Penetrator, turned and fired at one, downing it before it even released a shot. The other swiveled in his direction as he ducked down, aimed and downed it as well, the turret's shots whizzing past his face.

"Boom," he smirked.


	15. Chapter 15

The Lancer was pouring smoke from its hood and the loudspeaker crackled as Brick laughed and ran around the vehicle, randomly punching in doors. The doors, which were constructed of a heavy duty metal designed to deflect high velocity bullets, crumpled like tin foil beneath Brick's pounding fists.

"Hey! HEY!" Yelled Lilith as she dashed forward and slapped her large compatriot's arm repeatedly. Brick pulled away from the vehicle and leaned back, laughing maniacally into the sky. Lilith dropped her hand and backed away slowly. Mordecai stepped up and stood next to her, staring.

"He's nuts," murmured Lilith.

"Was he always like this?" asked Mordecai with a frown.

She shook her head slowly. "Not this bad. He was always uncontrollable, but this crazy thing…_this_ is new."

As they continued to watch, Brick's laughter faded as he took a deep gulp of air and stood up straight again. He shook his head once and said, "Yeeah!"

Mordecai clapped his gloved hands. "You done?"

Brick just smiled and walked past his friends, back to their untouched Lancer. He hit the transport button and disappeared as he was shifted into the car. Lilith shook her head again, as if to clear her mind of the strange spectacle that she'd been witness to. The sound of something moving came from inside the ruined Crimson Lance vehicle smoking in front of them.

"At least he didn't kill them," said Lilith as she turned back to their car. Mordecai took a deep breath and followed her.

Once inside the vehicle, Lilith started the engine again and, before shifting the car into gear, turned to Mordecai and Brick. "Ok. Since we didn't kill them, we're clear of getting a firing squad. They'll probably try to block us in or detain us or something. Just listen to them when they get us. DON'T fire a shot," she pointed at Mordecai. "And DON'T go all skagshit and pound the hell out of anyone."

Brick's smile grew.

"OR anything," said Lilith with finality as she turned back around, switched into gear and drove forward.

"Damn," moaned Brick.

Sure enough, as they rounded the bend, a large red energy shield blocked the entire road. Through the pulsing translucent roadblock, the trio could see a few Lancer vehicles and some Crimson Lance soldiers standing around in front of their facility, arms at the ready. Lilith slowed to a halt as two drones zoomed forward from behind the shield and hovered uniformly in the space between the shield and their vehicle.

"Get out of the vehicle and put your hands up. You are being detained," bellowed a loudspeaker from one of the Lancers behind the shield. "Don't try anything or you will be terminated."

"Hey," whispered another voice. "We can't kill civvies without an order. I read that in basic."

"Shut up. We're just trying to scare them into doing what we want," said the original voice. "Just keep quiet and take notes. Ok. Now we turn the switch back to trans-FUCK! Did you all hear that?"

Lilith laughed quietly inside their car. "When he gets his act together, then we get out. Got me? Just follow my lead." Mordecai and Brick nodded.

"No?" asked the loudspeaker again. "Good. Ok. Get out of the vehicle NOW."

Lilith hit her transport button and appeared at the side of the vehicle. Mordecai and Brick followed suit. All three raised their hands in surrender. The shield wavered and disappeared. Three Lance soldiers ran forward to group around Lilith.

"Guys. GUYS," intoned the loudspeaker. "There are two others."

Lilith rolled her eyes as the three soldiers in front of her gestured with their guns and shook their heads, obviously having a private com discussion as to who would get to escort the female into the outpost building. Mordecai smiled. She'd probably get more information out of them than Brick and he combined.

"Markson gets her, Gibson gets the big one and the rookie can have the other one. There. I fixed it," said the voice again. The soldier in front of Lilith stood up straighter as the other two went to secure their prisoners. Mordecai's guard immediately slapped energy cuffs on him and began marching him forward. As they neared the building, Mordecai looked back over his shoulder and saw Lilith following close behind, with her escort walking behind her, enjoying the view. Lilith winked at her partner in crime. Mordecai glanced over at where Brick was walking a little distance behind the two of them, flanked by the two Lancer vehicles. He was smiling.

Inside the building, each of the three were escorted into a different room for questioning.

Mordecai sat at a bare steel table that was bolted to the floor. He shifted his wrists and the energy bonds that held him remained firm and warm. He waited about 20 minutes before his escort walked into the room followed by another soldier. The second soldier sat opposite him at the table while his escort stood in the corner, gun at the ready.

"Why were you trespassing on Lance property?"

Mordecai raised an eyebrow. "What, no introduction?"

The soldier said nothing. Mordecai shrugged. "We saw a box and we stopped to check it out. Is that a crime?"

"Yes it is. Well…stealing is. You took the items out of that box."

"Isn't that the point?"

"Next question: Why did you shoot the drones that told you you were trespassing?"

"They startled me. I reacted."

"By shooting?"

"Itchy trigger finger."

"Ok. Anything else you want to say?"

"Nope."

"All right. Since you didn't harm any humans, you're going to have to pay the cost of the two drones you killed and the two turrets you disabled."

Mordecai nodded.

"You wanna know how muc-" The door opened and another armor clad soldier peeked his head in. He nodded and appeared to be having a private conversation with Mordecai's interrogator.

"Whoa. Yeah," replied the interrogator, his communicator still on speaker mode. "We can totally do that. Not a-" He turned to Mordecai and his communicator clicked over to private. He nodded again and again. Mordecai sat back and waited for them to finish. He wondered what Lilith and Brick were saying. The communicator clicked back to speaker.

"All right. Your charges have been dropped and you're free to go. Parks, remove his restraints."

Mordecai smiled and stood as Parks, his escort, released the energy cuffs. As he stepped into the hallway and headed for the door, he passed several open rooms with Lance soldiers doing push ups, counting out loud. At the door, another soldier was jogging in place, bringing his knees up to touch his outstretched hands with every step.  
"I. Will. Not. Insult. Steele. I. Will. Not. Insult. Steele," he chanted out for everyone to hear.

Mordecai feigned disinterest and stepped out into the night. In the light of the floodlights, he could see Lilith pointing and gesturing wildly to a Lance Engineer. He nodded and retreated, shaking his head. Mordecai headed down the stairs as he saw Lilith transport back into their vehicle. He trotted over and hit the transport button to enter the gunner seat. Inside the car, Lilith and Brick waited. Brick's face was split into a giant grin.

"Miss Steele?"

"_Lieutenant_ Steele, Mord. I think I just got our key to finding Roland."


	16. Chapter 16

Roland leaned on his stolen vehicle. Taking another drag from his cigarette, he pulled it from his mouth and tossed it on the asphalt. He smiled as he ground the butt with his boot. As a child, he'd championed a bid to make his father quit smoking. Now in his late twenties, he'd picked up the habit and still found the irony quite funny. He stood just beyond the off ramp that led back down to the sand plains of Deep Fathoms; he looked out at the ramshackle assortment of graffitied partitions, shacks and various barrels of volatile substances. There were a few scattered bandits traipsing around, pointing guns at each other and acting up, but only one looked up to see Roland waiting by his car.

"What are _you_ doing here," the bandit yelled scornfully through his mask as he held his machine gun over his shoulder and pointed at the ex-soldier.

"Just passin' through," replied Roland as a few more bandits looked his way.

"Not up here, you're not." The bandit looked to his buddies for approval, which they readily gave in the form of nods and the odd lewd hand gesture in Roland's direction.

"I take it there's no chance of me just walking through there all peaceful-like then, huh?"

The mouthy bandit shook his head. "No way in hell, buddy."

"Hmm." Roland pushed off of the car he was leaning on. "Then I guess we ain't buddies, are we?"

"No we ai-" started the bandit.

"Then say it right. Call me 'enemy' or something like that. Get it? It's confusing otherwise."

"Huh?"

All of the bandit faces watching Roland registered confusion as he shook his head and started walking slowly toward them. "Him calling me 'buddy' implies we're friends." He looked around him at the bandits, some of whom were even scratching their heads with their weapons in contemplation. "Lemme illustrate."

Roland pointed to one. "Come here." The bandit obliged and stepped forward to stand directly in front of Roland.

"What would make us friends?" Roland looked at the other bandits. "If I made him cookies or shot him in the foot? Now I got cookies in the car there," he said as he gestured back to the car. The bandits whose eyes were visible lit up with the thought of baked treats.

"Cookies," said the bandit in front of Roland.

"Good," Roland said as he pulled his service revolver out of his holster. The bandits watched eagerly. "How about if I was to tell y'all that I lied about the cookies and shot this guy here in the foot. What would that make us?"

"Not friends," said another bandit, lowering the hand he'd raised in an automatic reaction to the question.

"Right again," smiled Roland. "Let's say that's the case, right?" The bandits nodded. "Then callin' me 'buddy' is pointless, 'cause I ain't your buddy, right?"

"Right," said a few in unison, nodding their assent.

"Then this would really not make me your buddy," said Roland as he quickly switched his revolver for a combat rifle and opened fire at the bandits gathered around him. They went down without a fight. Roland reloaded and surveyed the fallen bandits all grouped around him. "Damn. That was too easy."

He maneuvered around the bodies and trotted up to another partition that separated him from more bandits and a few random psychos. He made a few calculations in his head, smiled and tossed out his Crimson Lance issued Scorpio turret. With only a light hum of energy, the turret appeared in the center of the partition's opening. Roland watched as one of the psychos caught the movement and started running full tilt toward it. The others took notice and joined the race. As they approached, the turret snapped into action and fired rapidly into the group of screaming maniacs. Within seconds, the group was laid out. The action attracted the attention of the few remaining bandits, who took aim and fired at the turret, depleting its shield. Glad for the still-working streetlights, Roland eyed where the bandits had placed themselves and switched to a missile launcher, just for fun. Within three shots, each and every bandit was launched into the air and laid flat on the ground, either dead or seriously wounded. Roland recalled his turret, switched back to his service revolver and headed over to the front door of Moxxi's Red Light.

"You got the money, I've got the sweet, sweet honey," crooned a sexy female voice over the intercom connected to the front door.

"Oh, I got your money, babe," said Roland as he smiled at a camera attached to the ceiling and pulled a wad of cash out of an ammo pouch on his utility belt. "Don't you worry 'bout that! Oh, I uh…took care of a little pest problem you had goin' out front here, too. Hope you weren't attached to 'em."

"Well aren't you just the sweetest pancake in the stack? Eh. They're a permanent problem. One little spraying isn't gonna rid me of those bugs." The voice sighed.

Roland raised an eyebrow. "We can talk about it when I get in there. You gonna give me clearance or not? I'm gettin' a little parched just standing here in the dark."

"Hmm…as long as you don't tell your bucket wearing friends that I've got a soft spot for tall, dark men in uniform. Tiger growl." The locks clicked and Roland pushed open the door. He was greeted by flashing neon and garish colors painted on dimly lit walls. There were tables with a few patrons either dead or sleeping on them to his left as well as an empty stage. The establishment's owner waited behind the bar to his right.

The woman wasn't very tall compared to Roland's 6'2", but she wore a tall maroon top hat to compensate. The hat matched the low-cut double breasted coat she wore, proudly displaying her ample cleavage. A smile widened on her face, which was painted white to accentuate her red lips and the one red circle that was painted on each cheek. Her bright blue eyes were rimmed with dark kohl that was running slightly down her cheeks, giving her the impression that she had just been crying; her smiling eyes belayed that impression.

"Well, well, well," she murmured. "I've never been fond of you soldiers, but I think I'm going to have to change my mind."

Roland nodded. "Ma'am, I hate to disappoint, but I'm not with that outfit anymore. I just like the armor."

She frowned and made a face like she'd eaten a rotten piece of meat. "Just Moxxi. 'Ma'am' gives me that old feeling." She smiled again. "I'll just call you soldier. I like it. So, soldier, have a drink." She slid him a cup brimming with liquid. "I think I know what you'll like."

Roland leaned on the counter, took a sip and laughed. "Nailed it!"

"I always do." Her eyes slid up and down his frame, lingering on the skull tattoo on his left forearm. "Say, since you're not with the Lance anymore, you need something to keep you…_occupied_?" The look she gave him smoldered and Roland could feel heat rising to his face.

"Maybe. Depends on what you have in mind. I got a few things I need to take care of, but they've gotta wait until the next light cycle." He took another drink.

Moxxi leaned forward on her elbows at the bar. "I don't know if you've heard of it, but I've got this little thing I do on the side…something to keep the masses entertained. All you gotta do is kill a few little bandits and creatures for me while the degenerates who call this planet home give me their hard earned and hard stolen money to watch. You'll get a cut if you finish. I can tell you right now that I _like it_ when you finish. I have this huge hunch that you'll blow 'em all out of the water. You've killed before. With this, you'd do it for me. How about it, soldier? That sound like something you could handle?" She was practically breathless and her chest was heaving dramatically. Roland could tell she was acting, but he liked it regardless.

"For money? Sure."

"Hmm…for you I might even throw in a few weapons, too. Though I'm sure you're packing exactly what you need." She winked.

"It's always nice to get resupplied," he said. "When you want me to start?"

"Oh, I'm ready now, big boy. We got a show coming up in just a few. Head on down that hall and just keep on walking over the bridge to my Underdome. Wait in the lobby and I'll come get you when we're ready to go. I can tell you're going to do well. I can't wait to see you in action." Her eyes were wide and he could tell the excitement was going to her head. Roland threw the last of his drink down his throat and turned down the hallway.


	17. Chapter 17

"This won't work," growled Brick, his scarred lip lifted in an almost comical snarl. Mordecai repressed his laughter. He just couldn't help antagonizing his musclebound friend, despite the ever present threat of his impressive ham-like fists.

"I have an idea," said Mordecai as his smirk grew. "Maybe we should work together, find the vault and split the findings." Brick glowered and turned away from Mordecai. Lilith was driving them into Deep Fathoms to follow the lead they had on Roland.

When the three companions regrouped in the vehicle after their strange escape from the Lance at the outpost on the Tollway, Lilith explained what she had done to get information and get them off the hook. While in her interrogation, she had used the advantages of Mordecai's knowledge that she looked very similar to the Lance Commandant. She'd convinced her interrogators that she was part of a top secret division of the Lance and that any interruption of their work, no matter how strange it seemed to them, would be noted and reported to Commandant Steele, Lilith's "older sister."

When the soldiers were sufficiently impressed by, convinced and frightened of the implications that Lilith's "true" identity revealed, the Lance were more than cooperative.

She demanded all files on any information regarding Roland (a.k.a. Specialist Thompson) and his circumstances. When the files were delivered to her, she flipped through them quickly, gaining what information was there. Unfortunately, there wasn't much. Not surprisingly, most information just wasn't shared with the whole of the Lance outfit; many things were classified and shared only with a select few. She did, however, find out that Roland had stealthily murdered an officer, whose name and rank were classified, and gone AWOL, taking off from the Deep Fathoms end of the bridge to Road's End after the bridge had been disabled indefinitely, most likely through some actions of Roland's. Upon learning the information, Lilith acted bored, like the information was old news to her, and demanded to know if the bridge was still out; she informed them that she didn't have regular communications with her regular Lance contacts because she was deep undercover. The soldiers told her the bridge was still out and that Roland hadn't passed through any of the checkpoints the Crimson Lance had set up on the roads leading out to the Tollway and the Ridgeway; he was still somewhere in Deep Fathoms. As Lilith was leaving the outpost, she had the soldiers release Mordecai and Brick, her undercover support soldiers, and gave all of the soldiers a dose of her idea of military punishment for "insulting" her by not knowing who she was. That's why Mordecai had seen the soldiers doing pushups and jogging in place in the building as he walked out.

As they drove out towards Deep Fathoms, Lilith told the pair that her plan was to ask questions of anyone who might have an idea of where to look for Roland. She told them to not plan on getting answers painlessly. Brick said he counted on it.

During the drive, somehow the conversation had turned back to Brick and Mordecai's newly realized idea that they shared in the quest for the Pandoran vault. Mordecai was highly amused while Brick brooded over the fact.

"So you're both searching for the same thing," said Lilith as she drove. "So what? Just do it together. You can't be the only ones out here looking for that stupid vault. I'm betting 90% of the creeps on this dust ball of a planet are out here looking for it. With the two of you working together, you'd be one-upping everyone else who's out here doing it for himself."

Mordecai chuckled a little. "How about it? It'll be just like the old times I don't remember." His whole situation was now striking him as hilarious. From hunting down Yujinny and the vault on his own to now pairing up with childhood friends on a quest for two more of their childhood friends, everything just seemed overtly surreal to him. He was actually enjoying the ride and the change of pace. _And the company_, he thought as he glanced over at Lilith in the driver's seat.

"You _don't_ remember," said Lilith.

"Hmm?"

"You don't remember, obviously, because you two never really got along," Lilith said over her shoulder. Brick grunted in assent. Lilith continued. "Ever since that day when he punched you, you two were always a little uneasy together, but still friendly, if only for the sake of the group."

"I told you I didn't remember." He turned his eyes back to Brick. "We can work this out later. Let's just focus on what Princess has us doing." He watched as Brick nodded silently. "Where exactly are we going, Princess?" He asked, peering through the scope of the Eridian cannon on top of their Lancer.

Lilith pointed to a road sign for Moxxi's Red Light as they passed it. "There's this bar over by the Underdome out here. You guys been there?"

"Yeah," chimed in Brick, his face lighting up. "I love it there! You get to fight AND get paid!" He slammed one massive fist into his other palm. "It's great. I wish Mandy could see me do it some time."

"No," said Mordecai, raising an eyebrow to Brick's obvious enthusiasm. "You get paid to fight at the bar, too?"

"No," said Lilith in reply. "Just the Underdome. But Moxxi, who runs 'em both, always knows gossip. She doesn't let the Lance into either of her 'establishments,' but she always seems to know what's going on. Apparently alcohol and violence makes people very chatty. She's given me all sorts of crap to go on in the past AND she's let me take on a few rounds in the Underdome. Not bad for what it is, actually."

"It's like she picks 'em out just for you," said Brick, his eyes wide. "It's great. You think I could do a round?"

"Sounds interesting," said Mordecai. "Money's not a bad thing any way you look at it."

Lilith drove up the on ramp and crashed straight through the partitions and gates that blocked the way to the bar. The wheels bounced a little as they rolled over the bodies of quite a few ex-bandits, their blood pools glimmering wetly in the beams of the vehicle's headlights.

"Looks like someone had a little fun clearing out this bandit camp," said Lilith as she parked on the steps leading from the road up to the bar. "Out we go," she chimed as she slammed her palm on the transport button and disappeared. Brick and Mordecai followed.

On the porch of the bar, the trio waited.

"Come on in," said a male voice over the intercom system. "Always room for a few more. Plenty of seats left!" The door clicked open and Lilith led the way into the neon-infused bar. The bartender was a bulky looking man with a mohawk wearing a tuxedo t-shirt who was leaning on the bar with both hands.

"50 apiece. No box seats left," he said, looking over the group. He broke into a toothy grin as he eyed Brick, who was standing behind his smaller partners. "Heeeyy! Brick! I ain't seen you in awhile, man. You here for the ring?"

Mordecai and Lilith made room for Brick to step up.

"Sure if you got room," he said.

The bartender shook his head. "Well, we got one in there now, but I don't think he'll last. My money's on him bitin' it in the start of the second round. You can get in there after I collect my winnins. I know I bank with you in there!"

"Oh yeah," grinned Brick. "Can I go wait in there?" he asked, pointing back to the hallway that led to the bridge over to the Underdome's back rooms.

"Sure," said the bartender. "Head on over. Moxxi won't mind. She loves you. You're money, man. Money!"

Brick laughed and slammed a hand each on Lilith and Mordecai's shoulders. They both grimaced and tried not to fall over. "I'll see you two in there! Keep your eyes on the rise! It won't be long. I promise." He turned and trotted down the hallway, turned a corner and was out of sight.

Lilith rubbed her shoulder as the bartender eyed her. "Hey," he said. "You've been here before, too. I never forget a face. You didn't do bad. You wanna try again? Moxxi likes watchin' you. She told me."

Lilith raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? She said that?"

"You heard her when you were in there. She likes all types." He glanced over at Mordecai. "Hell, she'll even take skinny here. Money is money."

"Well?" Lilith turned to Mordecai, who shrugged. "We'll do it together. With Brick. That a problem?"

"I don't think so," said the bartender. "I'll just tell Moxxi when she's ready. Head on over there and I'll tell her you're coming." Lilith nodded, turned and grabbed Mordecai by the wrist as they headed down the hall.

"It'll be easy. Trust me. We'll finish it quick, collect our take and talk to the lady herself."

"It's all fine by me, Princess. I'm up for anything." He meant it, too. He was actually having fun. "There anything I need to know about this, though?"

"Hmmm," Lilith thought for a second and shook her head decisively as they walked together over the bridge. "Nope. Not really. You just shoot everyone and everything who is not me or Brick. It's pretty basic. Live through it, get paid."

"Sounds like life," he said, smirking. Lilith laughed, her voice echoing down the hall.

"Yeah. You got it! We can watch this show while we wait. I'm sure Brick's in there soaking it all up anyway."

As they passed from the enclosed stone bridge into the lobby of the back rooms of the Underdome, the pair passed a bright red door decorated with stars spelling out the name Moxxi in big letters. Lilith led Mordecai over to a large room with a few chairs and huge plate glass windows. Brick stood in the center of a window, his face pressed practically up against the glass. His breath fogged up the glass as he watched the Underdome spread out below.

The windows looked out over the expanse of Moxxi's Underdome, which was just a large empty stone enclosure with a rundown tower in the immediate center, a cage and a tall poll on top of that. Surrounding the enclosure were thousands of bleacher seats and a few closed boxes with plate glass separating them from the rest of the seats. It was a gigantic empty theater.

"Are you ready for a show? All right! Take your seats, ladies and gentlemen, and get ready for some fresh excitement!" boomed a sexy voice over the speakers.

A foghorn sounded and the doors that opened into the bleachers popped open, letting in a horde of spectators just as the atmosphere in the enclosed space rippled. In an instant, the space was shifted from emptiness to a gloomy expanse of ruined buildings, gates, Crimson Lance outpost buildings and transport vehicles. Above the uppermost cage appeared a woman wearing a red ringmaster's outfit with tall heeled boots and mismatched stockings. Her chest heaved as she smiled, grasped the pole and put a large megaphone to her painted lips. She leaned forward, hooked a foot on the pole and shouted.  
"Tonight's match will be in…HELL-BURBIA!"

Mordecai liked what he saw, with both the woman and the ring. "Nice," he murmured. Lilith smiled next to him while Brick really pressed his face into the glass. Lilith pointed down inside the lowest part of the tower in the center.

"That's where you start," she said. As she spoke, the air rippled and a figure appeared, back to the trio.

Lilith squinted and something familiar tugged at the back of Mordecai's mind. He pulled out his Pestilent Defiler and peered through the sight at the figure beneath the tower. It was dark in the Underdome and hard to catch a glimpse of the man's face.

"How's everyone doin' tonight?" yelled Moxxi, twirling on her pole. "You ready to get your violence on?" The crowd roared in response. "Try THIS!"

As bandits and skags appeared randomly, Mordecai followed the competitor with his scope, trying to get a better look.

"Uh oh," said Brick. Lilith and Mordecai turned to him. "This isn't gonna be good."

"What? Why?" asked Lilith.

"That guy down there?"

"…yes…" prompted Lilith, impatient.

"That's Roland."

Mordecai and Lilith snapped their heads back to the action down below as the combatant was firing from behind a sandbag blockade at a few bandits. Sure enough, there was their missing friend.


	18. Chapter 18

As the three friends watched with their faces pressed to the glass, Roland ducked, fired, evaded and successfully mowed down all but one of his opponents within six minutes. The final bandit took off running in front of Roland, who followed in pursuit.

"Hey," came Moxxi's voice over the intercom in the room. "You guys wanna join in the fun for the next wave? I'm a little bored with these one-on-ones. I'm ready for some group action, banging out the kills all at the same time."

"Sure," said Lilith as she watched Moxxi pick at her nails on her perch above the Underdome arena. "We actually know the guy you've got in there right now. We'd be glad to get in there with him."

Moxxi looked up and smiled in their direction. "Ooh…this is gonna be soo good."

As she finished her sentence, Mordecai watched Roland chase the final bandit down. The bandit ended up cowering on top of a Lance building, shooting randomly in Roland's general direction. One shot from Roland and the bandit was finished.

"There's nothing you can't handle is there, Roland?" said Moxxi to her audience. "Of course not! But I don't think he can handle the special treat I have planned for him next!"

A door opened beside Brick and the trio of friends stepped forward into a small room and crowded around the transportation device they found there. Lilith activated it and the three were plunged into a whirling purple tunnel that brought them to the center of the bottom section of the tower in the middle of the arena.

"Since I'm so generous, I've decided to bring our new friend a little help from some people ya might recognize!" Moxxi yelled to the crowd. "Show some love for our reigning undefeated champion Brick and the lovely Lilith, who is rumored to have tamed even Skagzilla into dead submission!" The crowd roared.

"And then there's a new recruit who was just _begging_ to be put through my paces. You all know I can't resist when a man breaks down and begs, so I've agreed to let him try. Let him know what you think!" The audience erupted into wild applause and screaming. "Bang! Guess what round it is…gun wave!"

"Let's take 'em out," said Brick as he took off running.

Mordecai and Lilith split, kicking into high gear as bullets began flying all around them. Lilith raised her HellFire as she ran and fired out, striking a bandit with a pistol dead in the face. Shots ricocheted off of her shield from behind as she ran. She could hear Mordecai's Bloodwing scream as the bird dove in front of her, hurtling behind a low barricade of sandbags before soaring back into the air. As she ran past the sandbags, she glimpsed the body of yet another bandit.

"Kill stealer," she muttered as she rounded a corner and ran smack into Roland. She was knocked backwards, but he reached out a well-muscled arm and pulled her back up.

"It sure is good seeing a familiar face," he said as he motioned for her to follow him. A primal roar sounded off on the top of a building to their left. They turned, weapons at the ready, but Brick was already beating the bandits that surrounded him to a pulp, blood and teeth flying everywhere.

"Beat 'em down, Brick!" echoed Moxxi's voice around the arena.

Roland smiled as he shook his head. "Just ain't right." He lifted his rifle and fired at more bandits as he dropped to one knee and pulled Lilith down with his other hand. Once she was down, he tossed out his Scorpio turret. Lilith turned to cover the rear of their little shelter and set the head of a nearby Bruiser on fire. The large bandit screamed and tried to beat out the flames to no avail as his body turned to ash. Above, Bloodwing screamed again.

"Did I promise you a show or didn't I? Who loves you and who do you love?"

The tension in the air rose as the crowd geared up for the next wave.

"You ever done this before?" asked Lilith as she stood and ran past Roland and his turret, back toward the center of the arena. She paused for only a second underneath the tower in the middle as she turned, running up the stairs of an abandoned motel. Roland followed, watching their backs as mega health kits and ammo containers rained down from the sky.

"No. But y'all here to save my ass?"

"There's so many of them! What are you going to do against the horde wave?" screamed Moxxi as the crowd cheered.

Lilith shook her head. "No. I know you can do it, but for this one, just let them come to you. Brick and Mord can thin 'em out."

"I got this," said Roland with a smile as he whipped out a Battle Destroyer and ran back down the steps they just came up.

Deafening explosions rocked the arena as grenades burst, sending shrapnel flying every which way. Lilith crouched on the walkway on the top of the abandoned motel and watched as more psychos appeared out of nowhere. She could hear Bloodwing up above her and she turned to see Brick running full tilt into a group of six flaming psychos who were laughing maniacally as the large man lashed out with his fists. Brick's heady laughter joined that of the psychos as he smashed their heads and practically punched holes in their ribcages. Lilith opened fire as another four psychos headed her way. She aimed for one's head and downed him as the other three ignited in flame.

"Look at little Lilith go, beating all them boys down," purred Moxxi. Suddenly she gasped. "Mordecai is in trouble!"

Lilith dashed straight down the steps without a second thought. She had no idea where her companion was, but she had to find him…fast. _Whump._ Lilith disappeared in a ball of flame that set another raving psycho ablaze. She ran past Roland, who was spraying bullets into a group of blazing psychos, and she almost ran into Brick, who was laughing, standing in one place and punching a midget psycho in the face like it was a grotesque punching bag.

She tried to listen for Mordecai, but the mad shouts of the horde wave were drowning him out. As she zipped up more stairs and past shipping crates, she saw Bloodwing soar into view; the bird dove and, as she rounded the corner, she saw a group of blazing psychos surrounding her fallen comrade. She willed her alien forces into electricity, shot forward and…_Whump._ Lilith appeared behind the group and used her force blast to shove a few down the stairs to the left. Mordecai's blood was pooling around his boots. Lilith knelt behind him.

"Just keep firing!" she yelled. "Don't stop!"

Mordecai was firing a nice Skullmasher and he just kept at it. The crowd around the pair thinned quickly as Lilith injected Mordecai with a health serum. She was aware of her heart thudding heavily in her chest and in her head as Mordecai stood back up.

"Pay more attention next time!" screamed Lilith as she pulled a Vitriolic Stinger out of her holster and tossed it to her childhood friend. "You can't get these guys like that! Just spray 'em!"

"Yah ha yah ha yah ha!" laughed a psycho as he rushed up toward them. Mordecai and Lilith stood their ground and fired simultaneously as the psycho erupted like a flaming acid-filled volcano.

"I like it," said Mordecai, looking over his weapon. "Maybe I'll follow your prescription, doc." The air cleared as Lilith nodded and took a huge breath, trying to clear her head.

"The crowd is good tonight, huh? They love it when you finish off a wave, don't they?"

Lilith could hear the smile in Moxxi's voice. "Here come the badasses!"

Mordecai ducked behind a crate and aimed for the head of a badass Bruiser who had just appeared below him; 2 shots took the bandit down. _Whump._ Lilith was gone. _Eh. I'll thank her later._

Within 15 minutes the four friends had fanned out and taken out each and every badass in the arena.

"Can you keep this pace up? I find few others can," crooned Moxxi as the group raced around, restocking on ammo and health kits. "What's that? You want a hammer fight? Dodge this hammer! The mighty SLEDDGGE!"

As soon as he heard the word 'hammer,' Brick broke into an all-out sprint toward the front of the arena, where Sledge would momentarily appear on the stage. To put it bluntly, he loved fighting Sledge. He'd fought him once in real life and brought him down after almost dying; it was a rare challenge for Brick, who had a hard time finding people big enough to make a fight seem fair to him.

Initially, he'd run in there with his fists pumping and knocked the hell out of Sledge's underlings, but when he encountered Sledge, his shield was depleted with two quick shots of the villain's shotgun and with one blow of the hammer, Brick found himself being revived at a New-U station, thanking his lucky dog's paw that he had signed up and paid the hefty fees for using the system. His quick first defeat by the bandit lord made Brick rethink his "strategy" of just running in and punching the s*** out of everyone who came his way. He thought for a while, unholstered his static Crimson Death and returned to Sledge's lair. Once in, he quickly laid waste to the bandits and knocked Sledge's impressive shield out with a few electric rounds. With the shield out of the way, Brick took his revenge by knocking the huge villain in the side of the helmet with the butt of his shotgun and then using his fists to pummel the giant until he was laid flat on the ground. As a reward for himself, Brick looted the place and claimed Sledge's legendary shotgun. Later, during a round at Moxxi's, he was surprised to hear her announce his favorite foe's name. Ever since, he'd fought wave after wave, hoping to have another go at Sledge, just to be able to use his very first planned strategy again; this was the first time since his initial Underdome fight with his deceased foe that Brick was going to have that chance. He didn't want anyone, including his friends, to take it from him.

Brick came to a halt at the far end of the aisle that ran up the middle of the rows of empty seats in front of the stage. He pulled his Crimson Death from his holster in anticipation. Without thinking, he hoped Mandy was watching so that he could show her that he _could_ make a plan and follow it through, just to prove her wrong. He lowered his head as Sledge's voice boomed through the arena.

"Sledge have a idea! Idea say destroy them all!" The ex-bandit lord appeared and slammed his gigantic hammer down on the stage.

Brick raised his shotgun as bullets from other bandits pinged off of his shield, completely unnoticed by Brick. As far away as he was, Sledge's regenerated shotgun blasted each volley in Brick's general direction, but not a single shot hit him. Brick didn't even bother to aim as each electrical shot he took crackled toward Sledge and eliminated his shield in seconds. Dropping the shotgun on the ground, Brick hurtled forward and slammed a fist into Sledge's stomach. With his other hand, he caught Sledge's hammer and wrenched it from his grip, tossing it aside. Sledge got two punches in on Brick's torso before Brick landed one final uppercut, knocking the villain down and out. Brick laughed in ecstasy. Other sounds started filtering into his brain as his tunnel vision dissipated. He heard gunshots and shouts and then, the lights flickered.

"What the hell?" roared Moxxi over the speakers.

The gunfire ceased as the last bandit fell, killed by Mordecai, who was sniping from the topmost section of a building near the stage. The speakers crackled and a Russian-accented female voice rang clear through, cutting the silence like a blade.

"This is Commandant Steele of Atlas Corporation, Crimson Lance. You are harboring a known criminal wanted by the Atlas Corporation for the murder of one of its officers. This building is surrounded and you will turn him over to me immediately or face the consequences."

The speakers crackled again and Moxxi's voice boomed back over her captive audience.

"Well you heard the _lady_," she said scornfully before sighing. "I'm sorry, guys. I'll have to turn him in. Oh…but don't forget your reward in the tower. I really can't let you go without it. Really, you should all go get it _together_.

Mordecai hopped down from the building, calling back Bloodwing and stowing the bird in the specially designed creature-friendly holster that he always had strapped to his chest. Converging with Lilith and Roland, the three walked in silence toward the tower before stopping to wait for Brick, who trotted after them. Once regrouped, they all stepped into the bottom of the tower and picked up the rather sh**ty weapons waiting for them.

"Great re-" started Roland before being interrupted by a wavering of the atmosphere. All of a sudden, the four friends were sent gliding through a purple whorl that indicated they being sent through a hidden transportation device. _She's damn clever_, thought Roland.


	19. Chapter 19

"Here's the scoop," said Moxxi as soon as Lilith, Mordecai, Brick and Roland landed on the floor in a basement hidden beneath the Underdome. The room was dark and lit only with a few leftover flashing neon bulbs strung over a table which Moxxi herself was leaning back on. Moxxi pushed off the table and started to pace as she explained the situation to the four people in front of her.

"I don't like the Lance. Never have, never will. They wanted to edge in on my business when I first got here and they've never appreciated my bid for independence. Now I only use their troops for the more disposable elements of my undertaking. The way that bitch just hacked one of my best shows – that's unforgivable." Moxxi tossed her hair in frustration as she walked.

"I'm gonna burn that albino bitch so bad she'll feel it forever." Her blue eyes gleamed as she stopped and turned to face the four friends. She saw Roland's concern and she smiled. "Don't worry. I like you too much to hand you over to her. But I want to know something before I show you the back way out: you're after that vault, too, aren't you?"

Lilith shook her head. "Some are, some aren't."

"How did you know?" asked Brick.

Moxxi dismissed his question with a wave of her half-gloved hand. "All I know is that that Steele bitch wants it more than anything and I want to help you get to it before she does. What's your next move, Brick baby?"

Brick frowned. "I dunno."

Roland's head swiveled back and forth between Brick on one side of him and Moxxi in front of him. "Wait, wait, wait," he shouted and all eyes turned on him. Next to him, Lilith folded her arms and Mordecai craned his head around Lilith as he stood at the end of the line. "Brick. You're the one that killed that bandit king Flynt?" Roland watched as Brick shook his head.

"No," said Brick. "I heard he had a key piece but someone killed him before me." His eyebrows furrowed in contemplation.

Moxxi sighed and leaned back on the table again. "Well this is getting nowhere fast."

Mordecai started laughing and raised his hand. "I'm afraid I'm guilty of that," he smirked.

"I'm impressed," purred Moxxi, eyeing Mordecai with newfound interest. "I bought his DNA off the New-U stationmaster and put him in my ring. If you ever feel like takin' him on a second time…I'm always game to watch." She winked as Brick crossed his arms over his chest and turned to Mordecai.

"So you got my piece."

Mordecai shook his masked head. "He didn't have it. It was a set up. I haven't found the bitch who told me he had it, either. She's skip-"

"Tannis!" interjected Roland. "That crazy bitch I was set to guard back at Fastness!" He pointed at Mordecai. "She's the one who set you up, ain't she?" Mordecai nodded as Roland continued. "That nut was brought in to Crimson Fastness for some trumped up charge and Steele was ranting and raving about some betrayal or something – she does speak Ruskalian when she's upset and she's a little hard ta understand – but she shut down the ECHO system to try and shake someone off her trail. She blamed that Tannis chick for everything going wrong, whatever that was, and I see what she meant now! She was worried that that someone would make it to the vault before her! It was you she was trying to throw off!"

Mordecai smiled. "Well it's good to know I'm on the right track, but I need to find out from her what to do next."

"Hold up, man," said Roland. "When the Commandant turned off ECHO, that nutjob in the cell started rampin' up the crazy. She was talking about all sorts of shit – aliens, cannons, tattoos, underwear, skags, everything…even the location of the vault. She kept saying that she'd figured it out and Steele was shutting her out of everything she'd staked her life and job for."

"…aaaand…." Prompted Lilith, her gold eyes wide.

"And she told me where it is. It didn't do me no good then, but I saved the location for when I was out of the Lance. I was already plannin' my ticket out and thought I might need some cash or whatever that vault's holdin' later on. I can tell you right now that I aim to meet up with Steele for my own reasons later on, but why not try and beat her at her game now?" He eyed his three companions expectantly.

The corners of Lilith's mouth turned upwards. "I've never doubted a plan of yours since we first started hanging out together. It's been awhile, but I'm all for it. Lead on, Roland."

Roland smiled gratefully back at her and turned to Mordecai. "How about it?"

Behind his lenses, Mordecai looked from Lilith to Roland and back. He nodded curtly.

"I wanted this from the start, so sure. I can share."

Brick grunted and everyone looked expectantly at him.

"You in, Brick?" Roland punched the large man playfully on the arm. Brick rubbed the spot thoughtfully and looked up at Roland.

"I want the vault, but I need Mandy."

Roland's eyes went wide. "Mandy? Your sister Mandy?"

Brick nodded. "Yeah."

"She's missing?"

Brick nodded again as Roland put his hands on his hips and let out a huge breath of air.

"Well, shit."

Brick's eyes went wide. "You know something?"

Roland looked him straight in the eye. "I do, man, but I…I can't tell you yet. You finish this vault thing with me now and I'll tell you when we're done."

A red flush rose from Brick's neck to his scalp. "She might be hurt!" he growled. "You tell me now."

"Easy now, Brick," soothed Roland. "She ain't hurt and I can promise you 100% she's safe from all harm, but I can't tell you right now what I know. I need you to follow me on this – trust me."

Brick's eyes closed as Lilith, Mordecai, Roland and Moxxi watched. The veins that were beginning to bulge around his bull-like neck throbbed and started to disappear. As the red color that had flooded his countenance subsided, Brick opened his eyes and cast a piercing blue stare on Roland.

"I trust you. I will help and then you'll tell me."

Surprise flashed on Roland's face. "You counted, didn't you?"

Brick nodded slightly and a small smile crept up below the scar on his upper lip. "Mandy would've wanted me to."

"All right! Now to get out of here," said Roland, already taking charge of his new squad.

Moxxi applauded from her perch on the desk. "Ooh! You're so in charge! I LOVE it! I have no idea what all that was right then, but it was touching." She sniffled and smiled. "I'll take care of little old Steele while you all make your getaway. Take the door behind you and keep going down the long corridor until you reach some steel bars. Beyond those, there'll be a few wild skags, but those'll be cake for you guys." She sighed. "Oh if only I could watch you guys take her down! That would be like sex!" Moxxi practically screamed out the last few words, her chest heaving. "Oh…but…uhh…yeah. Just head out of the cave and you'll soon run into one of my Scootiekins' little Catch-A-Ride stations. Take one and get to that vault ASAP."

Roland nodded, his expression a little puzzled. He turned, flung open the door and started running down the corridor. Lilith, Mordecai and Brick followed suit.

Moxxi followed in their wake and stood at the door, watching their forms disappear around a turn.

"Be sure to make it back here! I'll be waiting!" She called before shutting the door behind them, closing them into the darkness.


	20. Chapter 20

The atmosphere inside the Lancer vehicle was thick with tension and anticipation as the four vault hunters rode back to T-Bone Junction and the only Fast Travel hub on that end of Pandora. Roland drove quickly, bypassing every Lance outpost and gunning it past drones.

"There ain't much we got to do," explained Roland as he drove. "We make it out to the Promontory, kill those aliens, open the vault and loot it – all before the Commandant gets there. Ain't no thang!" He laughed.

Mordecai stopped watching the scenery fly by through the Lancer's cannon sight as he sat back in his seat. "You met them yet?" he asked Roland.

"Eridians? Yeah. I was on tour here before…a few years ago," Roland said, shaking his head.

"What did you think?" asked Mordecai, pulling his short sword out of the scabbard on his back and wiping the blade with a cloth.

"They're tough. Their shields are topnotch and you need a hell of a lot of shock rounds to get past 'em. Their technology is what Atlas is using to get an edge on the other weapons manufacturers out there."

"Psh," exhaled Lilith. "That's old news. How about what they do to the people they enhance? Anybody heard that story yet?"

"No. How about you tell us. I saw you disappear when Mordecai was down in the ring back there. That was more than just speed, girl."

Lilith eyed her companions from her seat at the back. "My look, my mind, my abilities…hell, my whole genetic makeup was changed when they zapped me," she said.

"That doesn't make sense," said Roland, keeping his eyes on the road. "All the briefs I was received before I was stationed out in the Salt Flats say they just kill. They make supreme weapons just to kill people. That's all. Why would they rearrange the makeup of a girl – excuse me- woman like you?"

"I think that's the point," she said, looking around at Brick and Mordecai, who were silently watching her. "Weapons. I think I'm like a living weapon now."

"What?" Roland's incredulity sounded as the timber of his voice went up.

"After it happened, I'll admit that I panicked a little. I made it to the first New-U I could find, just to see if I could somehow revert back to how I was before it all happened. My DNA was unrecognizable to it and the thing didn't even register that I had ever been there before. I had to re-enter the system and pay the new member fees all over again." She dropped her gaze to her left arm and absently traced the blue tattoos present there. "It just took me a while to get used to it."

Mordecai watched Lilith's long fingers run up and down the blue patterns etched across her pale skin. "A weapon, huh?" he said in a lowered voice. Lilith looked up at him slowly.

"I'm not sure," she murmured. "That's why I need to talk to someone like me. The Eridians have kept their distance. I met only a few at some abandoned dig site out in the Dahl Headlands, but they just attack me like I'm no different from the rest of the Pandorans."

Mordecai nodded. "I've been there."

"Me too," chimed Brick, toying with the screws on the knuckles of his right glove. "They move like ghosts."

"And you sure do look like one," said Roland from the driver's seat.

"What?" Lilith grabbed a health kit from her holster and chucked it at Roland's head.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as another one collided with the back of his seat. He ducked in the chair. "Damn, girl! Cool it! Let me explain!"

Lilith stopped mid-hurl and lowered yet another health kit. "Do it before I toss another one at you and be glad I don't shoot you like I did that fool in New Haven who called me a ghost."

"Don't hold back on account of me," he said with a smirk. "But since I have your attention, lemme explain. The Commandant. She's got a nickname and it's 'Th-"

"Let me guess," interjected Lilith smarmily. "The Ghost?"

"Yeah. And she-"

"Has the same tattoos as Princess here," grinned Mordecai.

"Damn. I guess y'all got briefed. Nevermind then. Why don't you tell me what's goin' on then, huh?"

"She's the same as me," said Lilith, putting the health kit back in her holster. "They've enhanced her just like they did me. I don't know when or where it happened to her, but I'd heard that someone like me was here on this planet. That's why I'm here, in addition to wanting to find you." She indicated Roland.

"Aww. Don't flatter me," Roland replied as he made a sharp left. "Or I might think you got a thang for me!" He laughed to himself as Lilith rolled her eyes. Mordecai watched with amusement and Brick scowled as Roland brought the vehicle to a screeching halt outside of the transportation hub building.

"All right, soldiers! Out! We're fast-traveling to the Salt Flats and then we'll follow my plan from there."

Once she was immersed in the whirling purple vortex of the Fast-Travel system, Lilith shuddered as repressed memories flooded her mind. Though she had tried to block out the experience she had when she became her current self, just bringing it up with her friends sent it straight to the forefront of her thoughts.

It was an unremarkable day on a planet called Mimas, where Lilith was following a lead on her latest bounty from a jilted wife who posted a note on a bounty board asking any mercenary to track down and kill both her estranged husband and his new "mistress," a man called Soo. She'd followed their tracks to Mimas, which was an icy planet that was a far cry from the twin desert-like landscapes of Prometheus, where she was born, and Epimetheus, where her parents had whisked her away to when she was 13.

It didn't take her long to find out where Mr. Unfaithful and Soo were hiding and Lilith disposed of the pair quickly, collecting evidence of their demise to retrieve her bounty in the process. The woman who posted the bounty had given her a deadline of a week to complete the task and Lilith had finished the job earlier than she'd guessed, so she decided to explore the planet a little.

Having always lived in desert surroundings, Lilith was fascinated with the cold atmosphere and icy landscapes on Mimas. She explored settlements and learned tales from the locals about the strange tribes and wildlife that inhabited the wild tundras of the planet. During one trip, she eavesdropped on a group of rough looking men in a bar who were comparing notes about an ancient alien presence they were investigating. To her surprise, she found out through their chatter that they were scientists seeking the hidden technologies of the alien race; these technologies were widespread throughout the universe, but each planet the aliens inhabited had secrets inherent to the particular group of aliens who landed there and lived apart from the 'mother race.' The men suspected that the aliens who ended up on Mimas hoarded not only technology, but treasure as well. Lilith laughed silently as she listened to the men proclaiming that whatever treasure the Mimas aliens had would outshine the aliens who guarded Pandora's vault, if only they could find it.

Now Lilith wasn't particularly interested in the treasure for one because she didn't believe there was any treasure, but also because she truly enjoyed living as a mercenary for hire. She delighted in the moments of tension, the hunting of sometimes elusive prey and the satisfying feeling she got when her quarry was finally eliminated. What she'd stolen money-wise from her parents was more than enough to keep her in whatever semi-modest lifestyle she chose to lead for quite a few years, so the cash value of the so-called treasure wasn't enticing either. What piqued her interest however, was the mention of the alien technologies. Ever since that first day when Mordecai brought his Vladof repeater to share with his friends, Lilith had become interested in weapons. On her travels as a mercenary, she'd started her own personal quest to find the weapons that best suited her; she tried all styles and was particularly drawn to elemental weapons, only they were the hardest to find in shops and on the targets she looted after killing them for bounties. After hearing about hidden caches of alien technologies, she wondered if perhaps that extended to weapons. She'd heard a few tales of legendary alien weapons used by the Atlas Crimson Lance, for whom Roland's father was a soldier, but she'd never seen one in person before. These weapons supposedly discharged only elemental rounds and that interested Lilith to no end.

She stuck around the bar, listening to the group of scientists and using her ample charms to coerce information from drunk locals. By nightfall, Lilith had gained three possible locations where the aliens might have stashed their goods. Determined, she began her search.


	21. Chapter 21

The first location was just a trash dump for ancient relics that other scientists had long ago discarded, but the second was a dark, echoing, ice-enclosed cave that was well off the "beaten path" near a mountain range. It was hard to reach due to the proliferation of local toothy wildlife, but Lilith braved it. After blasting through the icy door with her trusty incendiary S&S Munitions combat rifle that she playfully called her "pet Draco," Lilith stepped into a world unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Shimmering iridescent blue concentric swirls and designs decorated the dark walls and continued down the full length of the seemingly endless cave. The designs gleamed with a strange ghostly aura that moved, changed and seemed to beckon Lilith further into the cave. As she walked slowly forward, a wintry breeze picked up and blew past her, toward the mouth of the cave, making a strange whirring sound as it escaped into the outside world. With each step forward, the volume of the whirring increased, ringing loudly in Lilith's brain. She wanted to raise her hands to cover her ears, but she kept her grip on her Draco and continued walking. As she reached a point where the path cut to the left and to the right, the awful sound suddenly stopped. A sharp crack sounded behind her and she turned to see that the mouth of the cave she had blasted through had reformed its ice wall; she was trapped. All of a sudden, something invisible but solid wooshed past Lilith and she whipped around to look for it. Panic crept tangibly through her body and she fought with herself to keep it in check.

_There's more than one way out,_ she thought. _Calm down. If there isn't, you can always melt a door again. Don't freak._

Breathing deeply, her breath forming steam clouds in front of her face, Lilith moved slowly in a circle and tried to catch a glimpse of whatever came past her. It couldn't have left, but it might have gone further back toward the entrance. She looked down and saw no tracks. _It was all in my head. _She closed her eyes for a second and shook her head, swishing her closely cut red hair. Opening her eyes, she continued onwards, down the right hand path.

After ten minutes of following the flickering blue markings that led the way down the narrow path through the ice, the cave opened up into a wide high-ceilinged space that reminded Lilith of the old cathedrals she had seen on Epimetheus. Unlike the path that she had just followed, the air was dead still in this area and the room glowed with a brighter version of the blue light. There were gigantic statues set at well-spaced intervals along the side walls. Lilith saw no sign of life and no exit from the room, so she lowered her weapon and walked toward the closest sculpture.

The sculpture was made of solid ice and the subject was definitely an alien creature; it had a small head perched on a long, curved neck that jutted from a powerfully built and yet thin body with elongated legs.

Facing the sculpture, Lilith backed up a little into the center of the room to see clearly. Two steps backward and the whirring sound picked up again. It seemed louder and more painful in the absent breeze and this time Lilith dropped her Draco and clamped her gloved hands over her ears, but the sound kept rising. She felt as though there were a thousand insects flying around in her skull, battering her brain with their wings and she screamed in pain as she was brought to her knees. In an instant, it stopped and even though her eyes were clenched shut, Lilith could sense the light in the room change from a pale blue to a bright orange, as though a huge bonfire had just been lit directly in front of her. Though she was afraid, Lilith opened her eyes to find herself floating in midair in the middle of an orange forcefield. She found quickly that she couldn't move her arms and legs, but she could move her head around and she jerked it back and forth, trying desperately to rock her body out of whatever force held her captive. Lilith strained with her neck as she felt her body floating upward. Though the whirring sound wasn't present any more, a strange and yet rather soothing humming noise enveloped her as she ascended slowly. Finally, she gave up. Her immobile body wasn't going to escape and she needed to refocus her thoughts on fighting whatever it was, once she got to wherever they were taking her. She tossed her head back and narrowed her golden eyes as she stared at the bright orange forcefield that surrounded her. It took her a second to focus on anything in particular, but beyond the shimmering orange she noticed that the statues had surrounding her, raising their arms. She looked again and noticed that the statues were still at the edges of the room; the figures standing in a circle around the orange wall of energy were real creatures. Lilith screamed and the orange disappeared, leaving nothing between her and the aliens. There was a crack of thunder and the figures raised their hands together; the humming was coming from them. Lilith restarted her straining and tried to break the energy holding her to no avail. The aliens lifted their heads to face the ceiling and Lilith followed their empty gazes to see a bright pale blue light hovering just under the roof of the cave. She tried to scream again, anything, but she could no longer open her mouth or move her head. She tried to blink and found that she couldn't do that either. Her eyes watered and then her breathing stopped as her thoughts slowed to a trickle. And then they ceased all together.

She awoke freezing but she shook it off as she stood. Disoriented, Lilith tried to focus on her surroundings. There was nothing in the cave except for a bunch of strange looking statues spaced evenly around the frozen room. As she squinted at the statues, Lilith's breath caught in her throat. _Them!_

She turned and ran back down the hall that she'd come through before, wanting only to run away much faster. And suddenly…she was. Her speed picked up without a second thought and Lilith was flying down the path. She had to hit the sealed entrance to the cave to stop herself. The wet cold of the ice that she smashed into broke up her shock as she whipped her Draco out of her holster, aimed and fired. The ice melted and she was dashing back to the nearest New-U station to escape whatever she'd met in that cave.

When she reached the station, a thought occurred to her. Maybe she could lose the memory of her encounter. The last time she'd used the New-U was only a few weeks ago. She wanted to get rid of the dawning realization that she'd changed somehow; she started to get the strangest idea that her newfound speed wasn't the only thing that was different about her.

She dialed in her password and started to insert her hand for a DNA check when she noticed the marks on her left arm. They were the same type of designs that she'd seen in the cave. Her eyes widened and she started clawing at them, trying to erase this new obvious sign of her contamination. She clawed up her arm, following the tattoos to her shoulder, down her side, hip and leg. She flung herself into the snow and ripped at her clothes, scratching every mark she saw with the fingernails on her right hand. She grabbed handfuls of snow and tried desperately to erase the designs until she spent every ounce of her energy and was left panting in the blood streaked snow at the foot of the New-U station. It was all to no avail; the marks were permanent. Lying in the snow with a cold wetness stealing into what was left of her clothing, Lilith stared at the bright blue sky above her. To her, it was the same color of her new brandings and she squeezed her eyes shut. By the sheer force of her will, Lilith calmed herself down and swallowed the panic that was rising by the second.

_No one knows but you and them_, she thought. In her mind's eye, she saw her naked self covered in the blue markings that snaked around the left side of her body. _They're tattoos…and they don't look bad. _A small flame of pride ignited within her as she pictured the way she looked now: pale milky skin tattooed in graceful blue patterns, bright gold eyes with dark lashes, long limbs, bright red hair…Lilith smiled and opened her eyes. _I've changed_.

Lilith stood and shook herself free of the clinging snow as she re-entered her information at the New-U station and inserted her left hand for the DNA check. Her eyes went wide as the screen flashed an error message: "DNA Match Incompatible." A flicker of panic crossed her mind and it was quickly subdued by a growing flame of pride, which was now a sizable fire burning within her spirit. She kicked the station and tried it three more times, all with the same results. Now she knew. She was absolutely certain that whatever had happened to her in the cave had completely changed her entire genetic code. Her smile grew as she turned her back on the New-U and headed back towards the town.

As she walked, Lilith pored over all that she could remember of what happened in the cave. She stopped as a dark form darted into her path. Looking up, she saw three skalves that banded together around her. When she first arrived on Mimas, Lilith was intrigued with the amount of long hair on the bodies of these wolfish creatures when she ran into a few tame ones in town, but this would be her first encounter with wild ones. For some reason, Lilith felt unusually calm and noted all of their strange characteristics, from their bulging yellow gold eyes to their long caverat-like tails. Their massive claws made interesting tracks in the snow as they circled her slowly. Lilith braced herself and readied for their attack, locking her gold eyes with those of the one closest to her. All outside noises trickled away and Lilith was left listening to only her breathing and the heavy breaths and footfalls of the skalves. A tremor rippled through the body of the one Lilith watched as its muscles tensed for a jump. Lilith whipped a Vladof repeater from her holster in the same instant that the skalve pounced; she blasted a clip into the first one and the world burst into flames as the creature fell dead into the snow. Without thinking, Lilith launched herself at the fresh warm corpse and leaped over it, landing gracefully and, without pause, breaking into a full-out sprint, leading the other two skalves in a death race across the tundra. The atmosphere merged into a white blur as Lilith continued to run, willing herself to go faster as she headed back toward the town. Within seconds, she skidded to a stop at the door of an abandoned shack on the outskirts of the main village. She turned to face the skalves, expecting to see them at her heels, but they were nowhere in sight. For some reason, Lilith was unsurprised. The inhuman speed at which she had traveled had brought her back to a place that would have taken her hours to return to. The beasts would be forced to hunt her trail or give up and move on to prey much more attainable. Lilith burst into laughter as she turned away from the tundra and walked into town.

Her mind raced as fast as her feet had as Lilith headed into the bar where she'd first overheard the scientists talking about the hidden alien technology cache. She pondered her new speed and the flames that had erupted around her just as the first skalve fell down dead in the snow. The aliens had imparted some strange powers to her and she needed to learn about them. She looked around for the scientists and found one of them sitting alone, nursing a tall mug of steamy cider. Lilith sat down in the stool next to him.

As she sat, she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror hanging behind the bar and she gasped. Her hand flew to her head as she stared at the shocking pink hue of her hair. Dark pink at the roots, it faded gradually to an almost-white shade of pink at the tips. Used to and proud of her beautiful naturally red hair, Lilith was caught between tears and rage, but the intensity of the feeling died in an instant. She shrugged at her reflection, winked at herself and plopped down into the bar stool. She turned to the scientist. "So…I hear you're looking for alien technologies."

Talking to that scientist led her to other scientists, who led to other scientists as time wore on. She traveled from one planet to the next, talking to one after the other, searching for answers. As she traveled, she noticed the strange looks she received from people everywhere as she tested her powers and learned through experimentation on bounty runs. Over time, her lone wolf status really started to grate on her; she greatly missed the companionship she'd so cherished back on Prometheus. Though she remained focused on her main goal of finding out more about her new abilities and the creatures that had given them to her, she also continued to follow up on bounties and added in a quest to find her childhood friends…all three of which had landed her on Pandora.

As the rushing of the Fast Travel system subsided and the purple tunnel faded from her vision, Lilith looked around and smiled silently to herself. Mordecai was standing beside her on one side and Brick was on her other; Roland stood in front. _Some things just happen for a reason_, she thought.

Roland turned to address his "squad" of friends. "We need a vehicle and we need it fast." He turned to Lilith and raised an eyebrow, a grin plastered on his face. Lilith nodded. _Whump._


	22. Chapter 22

The four friends drove as far as they could in a Lancer across the relatively barren Salt Flats, following the waypoint that Roland had fortunately saved. In silence they traveled, all four contemplating what would occur and how it would affect them all. As they approached a small footpath in the mountains, they exited the Lancer, readied their weapons and headed silently through with Roland in the lead. The path they followed led them out to a wide snow flecked expanse scattered with boulders and Crimson Lance portable outpost tents; there were soldiers stretched out around the area, patrolling, playing and generally acting bored.

"We're late," muttered Roland as his "squad" spread out around him, all surveying the threats. "We need to stop and think our approach through. This is a good, tight unit we're going to have to get through and…"

"Means we're close," interrupted Mordecai. He nodded to a few soldiers who were still erecting tents on the plain. "And not far behind if they're not done yet." Brick and Roland nodded.

"Let's get them now," growled Brick in anticipation of a good fight. He could already feel the Lance armor crumpling like foil beneath his pounding fists. "Just one step closer and we're going to get Mandy. I'm ready."

Beside Brick's hulking mass, Lilith shuddered suddenly as a quick jolt of what seemed to be electricity shot up her spine, lighting up her tattoos on the way. She put a hand on Brick's large bicep and could feel him tensing to sprint into the midst of the soldiers.

"He's right. We need to go now. She's almost there and they're trying to keep her out. They know they won't win."

"They…?" murmured Roland as he, Mordecai and Brick eyed Lilith, who was staring out at the plain, looking far beyond the imminent threat of soldiers blocking their progress.

Lilith nodded, her golden eyes and tattoos glowing with an impossible light. _Whump_. She disappeared and whispered to her companions, "Bring them together. Do it now!"

Brick took off, screaming and heading straight into the center of the plain while Roland followed, aiming for the few straggling soldiers who were still putting up the last of the tents. Mordecai released Bloodwing and dashed to the nearest boulder for cover. He unholstered an Orion and systematically blew out the brains of every soldier who was farther behind than the others in racing to meet Brick. As he one-shotted yet another straggler and aimed for another, he stopped and lowered his weapon. Lilith was in that fray. His breath caught in his throat as he leaned heavily on his cover and quickly glanced through his sight. Scanning the blood pools that stained the whitening ground and the bodies that littered it, Mordecai chided himself out loud for not warning her first.

"But I had no time and she just took off and she wouldn't just…"

He felt a presence next to him and turned as Lilith appeared, glowing like the otherworldly being she was. She smiled.

"You're good, but you're not that good."

Mordecai felt the beads of sweat resume their path down his face beneath his mask, almost as if they had frozen in his moment of panic and thawed as he struggled to regain his composure.

"You don't watch it, you'll find out," he muttered, returning to his sniping as the soldiers grouped around Brick in the middle of the field. Lilith laughed and disappeared again.

Roland dashed around, spraying his lone group of soldiers with bullets, ending their lives without a second thought.

"All good!" he yelled toward Brick, who, he was sure, couldn't hear anything outside of his own crazy ass head. A bird's scream pierced the icy air and Roland looked up to watch Bloodwing turn in midair and soar toward a large multifaceted boulder on the edge of the field; Mordecai's point of cover. Roland smiled. _Damn, we're good._

He turned his attention back to Brick and the now tightly packed group of soldiers, all firing at the large man. Roland shook his head, took cover behind a boulder of his own and double checked his field medical supplies. _Yup. Plenty of medkits. I'm gonna need 'em for that fool._

As he finished his check, he peered out and wondered about Lilith. She was the instigator of this battle and she was the one with the plan, one he didn't know a thing about. She certainly had changed since their somewhat carefree childhood and her burgeoning leadership qualities worried him. Not like he was jealous, no. Definitely not that.

Roland pondered her strange powers and her uncanny similarities to Commandant Steele and he felt uneasy. Something just didn't fit and the sudden intense glow and that strange faraway look in her eyes that had just come over her right before the battle made him slightly edgy. It was almost as though something were taking Lilith over; that just wouldn't work for what their initial plan was. Roland shook himself to clear his mind of his troubles and watched as Brick suddenly roared and bolted from the center of the group of Lance that surrounded him. An unfortunate soldier clung to the large man's back and, as he ran, Brick reached behind him and plucked the Lance from his back just like he was plucking a sand flea from off of his skin. With one fluid motion, Brick held the man's helmeted head, brought the man bodily in front of him and shook him once quickly, like a wet towel. The man fell to the ground as Brick let go and Roland's eyebrows shot up as he remembered Brick doing the exact same thing to snakes back on Prometheus.

Just as Brick ran past the man's broken and lifeless body, a giant explosion of bright green acid engulfed the group of living soldiers Brick had just escaped.

Mordecai watched as the soldiers screamed and gurgled, the acid seeping through their armor and dissolving their bodies as they fought it pointlessly. In their midst, Lilith appeared and walked around with her favorite HellFire, mercifully granting some of the soldiers a quicker and more painless death.

Mordecai smiled as he watched her glowing form emerge unharmed as the acid wave quelled and disappeared, leaving only the empty shells of the soldiers' bodies behind. Lilith turned to the direction of her friends and beckoned as she turned and headed toward a path that descended down the mountain. From the left, Mordecai watched Roland and Brick emerge. Through his sight, he could see plainly that though Roland was unscathed, Brick was beaten and bloody, although he didn't seem to notice. Brick walked, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth as Roland trotted over to him and gestured to his wounds, pulling some hypodermic needles and medkits from his belt. Mordecai laughed as he lowered his weapon, patted Bloodwing on the head and emerged from his cover to follow Lilith on their trek to the Vault.


	23. Chapter 23

_I can feel you coming and you think you're coming for me, but you're wrong. You're here for the same reason I am. Do not try to fool yourself._

Lilith shook her head and refocused her thoughts, trying to mentally dodge the accented voice of Commandant Steele that hissed in her brain.

_And those cowards you are with, they will not tell you why they come for my Vault. They do not want you to know their selfish intentions. They…_

Mordecai touched her shoulder lightly with a gloved hand. "It's in here?"

The voice ceased and Lilith turned, slightly stunned, to her oldest friend. "Thank you," she said, seeing behind his red lensed goggles. "And no, not here. Just beyond. It's not much further." Mordecai nodded and turned to the crunching steps behind him where Roland and Brick approached.

"Now you got to let me stick you, Brick! There ain't no sense in NOT doing it! You were just shot. MULTIPLE times and you don't want me to prick you with a few needles? Man!" He shook his head in frustration. "You got some strange issues."

Mordecai smirked and shrugged while Lilith crossed her arms, eyeing her larger friend in annoyance.

"No, no, no!" shouted Brick. "Not with a needle. Not while I'm looking!" His eyes were wide and a trickle of blood dripped down in front of his left eye. He wiped it away without a thought.

Roland threw his hands up and looked at Lilith and Mordecai. "He definitely needs it. Even though he's big, I'm thinking the blood loss will kick in as we get in there." He indicated the cave to which Lilith was leading them and then looked up at the sky. "This higher altitude ain't easy on tall people," he said.

"We need to get moving," murmured Lilith as she moved forward toward Brick, who was looking down at a wound on his arm. She touched his bloody arm and he raised his head to look at her.

"I don't want him to –" Lilith stood on her tiptoes and kissed him full on the lips, silencing whatever he was about to say. Mordecai's jaw dropped and Roland dropped the needles he was putting back into his holster. As they watched, Lilith raised her left arm, which she had placed on Brick's bicep and gestured to Roland, who scrambled to pick up his needles in comprehension. Two jabs in quick succession and Brick was fully healed thanks to Roland and Lilith's ministrations. Roland pulled the empty hypodermics out of Brick's arm an instant before Lilith broke the liplock she had on the giant.

Brick blinked and remained still; so did Mordecai. Lilith slapped Brick on his other arm and turned quickly, heading past Mordecai and into the cave. "Don't make me have to do that again," she said over her shoulder.

Roland eyed Brick, who was still standing stock still. Roland elbowed him as he moved forward.

"Come on, Brick. Just walk it off!" He laughed and heard Brick start moving behind him.

Mordecai followed Lilith as she traveled, glowing, down a narrow stone "hallway" that opened up into a larger room as the path descended. Just as Lilith took one step into cave's atrium, her glow stopped abruptly. Mordecai saw it and smiled.

"Your light's out."

Lilith turned and shushed him, placing a hand on his sternum.

Mordecai watched as she looked over the cave quickly, her hair flipping as she turned her head. She turned back to him, placed her other hand on his chest and shoved him backwards. Still unnerved and preoccupied by Lilith's embrace with Brick, Mordecai stumbled, completely off balance into Roland, who caught him.

"What the..?" Flustered, Mordecai stood to face Lilith and she turned away from him. He took a step forward, but Roland caught his arm.

"No, Mordecai." Mordecai turned his scowling face to Roland, who just smirked as he whispered.

"Your mask don't hide nothing, Mord." His smile fell. "Let it go for now and just focus. She's not telling us something. Let her show us."

Brick caught up and, because he was still dealing with the shock of Lilith's kiss, remained silent as he stopped beside Roland and Mordecai to watch Lilith proceed into the cave.

Just as her body stopped glowing, Lilith's thoughts turned inward as she began hunting for the source of an elusive hum of energy that was just barely audible within the cave. She knew what it was and she was ready for it. She could feel the alien creature remaining still from somewhere, but the energy signatures of her friends behind her skewed her tracking skills. _Whump. _

Once in the dimension that enabled her invisibility, Lilith smiled. The hum was louder and she easily spotted the shade of a creature directly in front of her, guarding a red weapons chest.

_Nice trap,_ she thought at it and felt a general assent shot back at her telepathically.

Suddenly, she received quick blast of an image of soldiers approaching the chest and being repelled by a group of large rakk-like birds that dove and swooped, killing many. She felt a questioning tingle at the back of her mind.

_No,_ she thought at the creature, which was still hiding. _We're not with them._

Her mind was blank except for the "messages" she was exchanging with the alien as she felt it probe her thoughts. She felt relief when it moved on and reached a hand out to her friends behind her.

_No! They're not ready! They don't-_ She reached out to stop it just as it showed itself, having seen into the intentions of her three friends, at least two of whom were proven mercenaries. _Whump._

Lilith appeared down the path, facing off with a large alien creature that extended it's arms and sliced at her.

"Damn!" shouted Roland, who grabbed an Eridian Lightning gun from his holster at the same instant that Mordecai pulled out his Atlas shock repeater that he'd looted from a villain called Krom out in the Rust Commons expanses. Both fired, avoiding Lilith as best they could. It moved quickly and was almost instantly joined by two others, one from below and one from above.

"UP," yelled Roland as he fired into the alien hovering above Lilith.

Mordecai followed suit and Brick pulled a Vladof Static shotgun and fired off his hip directly at the one rushing toward them on the ground.

_Their shields are tough. Tougher than before,_ thought Mordecai as he switched weapons to a Dahl Savage Masher, one of his most powerful revolvers.

"Roland, shields!" He yelled over the gunfire. "I'll finish 'em!"

"On it!" Yelled Roland as he tossed out his Scorpio turret, which sprayed electric bullets toward the one Brick was fighting, successfully whittling down the creature's shields with each hit.

Lilith dodged and dashed around, avoiding the swipes of the alien's deadly blades. She couldn't help but think that the creature wanted the fight; almost that it craved it. Of course, she had no way of knowing this and her mind was pulled in all sorts of directions as she was still trying to connect back to Steele to gauge her progress toward the Vault. Lilith disappeared and so did the creature, following her into the dimension with they were both very familiar. She pulled an Eridian Ball Blaster from her holster and shot at the creature, hitting it square in the chest and destroying its shield. At the same moment, Lilith caught a hint of Commandant Steele's jumbled thought waves and she refocused, losing sight of the alien without even noticing it.

Steele's thoughts zoomed out of her range again just as the alien appeared directly in front of her, slicing until she fell bleeding to the snowy ground. Lilith screamed as the shock jolted her out of the other dimension and back into the one with her friends. The alien turned and went towards Mordecai, who blasted the creature in the head with his Masher while running straight for it. As it fell, Mordecai leaped over its body and landed next to Lilith. He frantically searched his holster for a medkit and found himself wanting.

"MEDKIT NOW!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Dammit," muttered Roland as he thought about his turret and how he should have set it to heal his squad. "ON IT!" He shook off his frustration, left Brick with the final alien and sprinted over to Mordecai and Lilith.

Lilith's eyes weren't focusing and Mordecai grabbed the medkit from Roland and jabbed the needle directly into Lilith's wound. Her breathing eased and Mordecai shook her as Roland stabbed two more needles into her arm.

Lilith sat up with a jolt and stared directly at Mordecai. "She's on the promontory. We need to get to her now."

Mordecai swallowed his frantic thoughts and nodded as Lilith stood, her eyes wide.  
Roland eyed her skeptically as Brick bounded over. "You ok?" he asked, not even breaking a sweat.

"They're all out against us now," Lilith said, taking a step to an edge that descended very steeply to the cave floor hundreds of feet below. "But we need to stop her from opening it." Lilith took a few steps back and looked at her friends, almost as if she were in a trance. The three men watched as Lilith picked up her fallen Eridian weapon and stepped back to the edge.

Roland shook his head and nudged Mordecai, who was closest to her. "Man, something ain't right. Get her away from there. It's like she's hypnotized."

Just as Mordecai reached out to grab her, Lilith bounded down deeper into the cave. All three men ran forward and watched, open-mouthed as she dashed from side to side, weaving down safely through the shaft, all the way to the floor.

"What the hell are you three waiting for?" she yelled up at them. "Get down here now!"

Mordecai leapt without a second thought as Roland and Brick followed him. As they descended and landed on the ground, the sounds of heavy gunfire greeted their ears. Lilith stood waiting, tapping her foot. She raised an eyebrow and pointed to a horizontal shaft that led out to where the gunfire was coming from.

"Lance are still fighting them. We're almost there." She turned abruptly and led the way.  
As he stepped to follow, Mordecai felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see Roland and Brick just standing there.

Mordecai shook his head, his dreadlock ponytail swishing almost comically behind his head. "She knows what's going on and she can't go it alone. We have to."

Roland nodded. "I know that, but she's not thinking it through. She's Bricking it." Brick grinned at the use of his name. "She'll get us all killed if she has us following right on her shapely ass."

"But what about New-U?" interjected Brick.

"Man, when's the last time you checked into one? Where would you end up? We can't waste that kinda time. I'm telling you, we need to think it through first. She won't go far into the fray."

Mordecai took a deep breath and nodded. "Ok. I'll stick to the edges and snipe the ones that come from above and behind. Blood will do aerial, too."

Roland nodded his assent and turned to Brick. "You're good with that shotgun. You take the shields out on those aliens and Mordecai will follow with a hit from behind to finish 'em off. Ok?"

Brick frowned. "Ok…but if they get close, can I hit them?"

"I don't care. I'll take the soldiers." Roland unholstered a beautiful S&S Serpens and checked it. "We got this?"

Mordecai and Brick nodded as Roland took the lead into the shaft where Lilith had disappeared.


	24. Chapter 24

Upon exiting the narrow "hallway" shaft, the cacophony of gunfire, energy cannons and the shouts of dying Lance soldiers bombarded the trio's ears. Lilith was nowhere to be seen, having already entered the fray.

Mordecai immediately set Bloodwing loose and dashed behind an outcropping close to the cliff face while Brick and Roland took separate paths down the mountain toward the fighting already in progress. As Bloodwing soared, screamed and dispatched several soldiers, Mordecai eyed the fight from his hidden perch. On the ground below, Lance soldiers of all rates and ranks battled viciously against the looming Eridian creatures who slashed and dashed around, thoroughly confusing and tormenting their enemies. In the air, circling around several tall pillars wrapped with the glowing markings that were now so familiar were many of the aliens in flight, toting high powered energy cannons with which they quickly dispatched unsuspecting soldiers. Mordecai exchanged his Masher for his Liquid Orion and starting felling the aerial attackers.

While Mordecai focused on eliminating the threat from the skies, Brick opted for punching every alien he saw, despite Roland's instructions to use his shotgun; his fists were itching for some good action and he wasn't about to deny them that. His tunnel vision kicked in whenever he saw one of the glowing creatures and he unleashed a violent pummeling fury as he made his way through the battle with even Mandy fading momentarily from his frenzied thoughts.

Roland ducked and weaved around the aliens, choosing to eliminate the soldiers who were not actively fighting one-on-one with an alien. He made a good, thorough circuit of the perimeter and then worked his way inward, circling each of the pillars in the center of the battlefield in turn. As he went, he ticked off a checklist he had in his head of supplies he saw scattered about and where they were located for when he came back; he was already dangerously low on medkits and he had a good feeling that at least Brick and Lilith were going to need a few, seeing as how they barreled in, all planning aside. A bullet grazed his cheek as he ducked behind some supply kits on the far end of the field, near another shaft cut into the side of the mountain. Roland turned and shot the soldier down, smiling. He did love a good fight, and this one actually required his forethought, which was nice.

Once the soldier fell, Roland peered over the crates and surveyed the scene, which was suddenly eerily empty as a few lone shots echoed back to him from the other side of the field. Bloodwing's shadow fell on him and he looked up in time to see the bird fly back to the top of the cliff at the entrance of the cavern-like battlefield. Up there, a small dark figure was quickly descending the cliff face and Roland nodded. Good. It didn't seem like he was limping or hurt; not that Roland had expected him to be. Mordecai was very capable of staying clear of the action and yet remain in the thick of it at the same time. Roland was sure glad to have an experienced sniper on his team. Something crashed directly across from him, behind the nearest pillar and Roland ducked back down, aiming his Serpens at the remaining unknown survivor.

"Crushed!" shouted a very familiar deep voice. Roland lowered his weapon and watched as Brick kicked the corpse of a very large Eridian and raised his arms in the air in victory. "Even aliens can't stop me!" he bellowed as he picked up a discarded weapon on the ground and put it in his holster.

Roland checked the area from behind the crates again and stood up warily, gun down. Brick turned his smiling mug to him and pointed at the corpse he had just been kicking.

"That thing is MINE!" Roland nodded and raised an eyebrow as Mordecai approached from behind. Roland turned to him. "You seen our girl?"

Mordecai shook his head, the red lenses of his goggles flashing in the bright light that bounced back over the snow. "She must be up ahead," he said, checking his rifle again, even though he had already checked it several times.

Roland shook his head slowly. "Then we need to get moving if we plan on getting in that vault with her. She's so quick she's probably already been there and gone."

Brick's eyebrows furrowed as Roland motioned for his friends to follow him. "You mean she's gonna loot it without us?" He tagged along slowly, cracking his knuckles while Roland picked up medkits and guns as continued walking.

"I don't know what I mean," said Roland, stowing another medkit. "She don't even need my waypoint anymore. Something's driving her and I think those aliens are calling her. For what purpose, I don't know." He readied his weapon as he entered a tunnel through a cave on the opposite end of the battlefield. "What I do know is that the Lance are here and almost there. She said it herself. This here," he pointed, "is the Promontory she was talking about. I'm seeing that the waypoint is up and around…and that's where the Vault is." Brick and Mordecai nodded in silence.

The three kept walking and passed two vending machines on their left, one flickering and the other dark, both with bullet holes and scorch marks on them. The distant sound of gunfire echoed through the billowing sheets of snow that fell surprisingly lightly on the terrain. Suddenly, a pack of Eridians appeared and the trio started firing as the aliens advanced on them. Brick dashed forward and was instantly repelled by an electric blast that sent the large man flying backwards into one of the two vending machines. Roland shielded his eyes from the blast while Mordecai stared from behind the safety of his tinted lenses. There, where the Eridians once hovered, stood Lilith, braced in light like a strange destructive goddess of old.

"There is no time," she shouted as Roland blinked and caught her in his vision. Brick shook himself off and stood, staring. Mordecai took a step forward, gun at the ready. Lilith nodded at them. "We can't fight them now. We need to leave them to the Lance. We have to get to the Vault. She's almost there. We can't let her have it; they've protected it too long for someone like her to get it. Follow me and we'll get through this now!" She took off sprinting away from them as Mordecai, Roland and Brick took off behind her.

Glancing over her shoulder as she ran, she saw her three friends blasting Eridians and Lance alike as they continued running, avoiding straight combat without a hitch in their steps. Laughing, Lilith continued to clear their path with her phase blasts, slamming everything that came near her out of the way.

It seemed like forever before they neared the entrance to the Vault. Roland chuckled to himself watching Lilith clear their path like someone Brick's size. She wasn't one to fool with. Suddenly, something came up from behind a boulder in front of him and pain seared through Roland's midsection as he fell stoically to the ground, refusing to utter any cry of pain.

Brick saw Roland fly up and fall heavily back down as the alien appeared and shot a quick energy blast right at him before it flew up into the air and out of his reach. In that same instant, Mordecai turned a pistol on the creature as another shot up behind him and sliced his back, sending him spinning into the snow. Hardly startled, Brick switched gears and headed for the one that slashed Mordecai while pulling out the prized shotgun that he'd taken from Sledge's freshly slaughtered carcass way back when he was first starting out on Pandora. As the creature registered Brick's imminent threat, Brick felt something slam into his side and he flew off sideways, spraying snow as he landed in a snowdrift. Brick couldn't let the shock register and he sat up quickly, still gripping the gun. There, the Eridian had turned and was facing something small with pink hair…Lilith! She'd blasted him out of the way and took on the alien herself. As she fired an Eridian weapon at it, the thing disappeared just as it slashed her across her stomach, knocking the gun from her hands. She, too, fell to the ground.

Roaring, Brick vaulted to his feet and took off for Roland first, pulling his last medkit from his holster. Nearing Roland, an energy cannon erupted and scorched Brick's back; he didn't feel a thing as he readied the needle and, wheeling around, threw it at Roland, where it landed with a thunk in the ex-soldier's thigh. Roland winced and reached down to punch the plunger just in time to release the life-restoring serum into his veins. As Roland returned to life, he got up to see Brick pulling a rocket launcher from his holster with one hand and scooping up Lilith with another. Roland dashed forward as the group of aliens reappeared, and Brick incinerated them all without a single second's hesitation. Pulling a recently acquired medkit from his holster, Roland slid next to Mordecai's limp body and jabbed the needle into his friend's upper arm. Something dashed past him, raising the hair on the back of his neck and then, Roland felt himself being lifted into the air. He gripped Mordecai's arm and pulled the wiry sniper with him as he was held tightly in a vise-like hug against Brick, who was roaring and running at top speed. In shock, Roland held on to Mordecai's arm as he realized that Lilith was beside him, too, also held tightly by Brick. In a daze, Roland watched as the group headed straight for a portal. In the last instant before they entered it, Roland jabbed Lilith with a medkit.


	25. Chapter 25

With a woosh of sound and the flash of a whirling purple vortex that was strangely similar to that of a New-U station, Brick and his armload of friends fell headlong into the snow. Lilith revived just as her face hit the cold, wet precipitation and she looked up to see her three friends standing slowly under the hard blank gazes of three Lance soldiers with their guns trained on the quartet. She stood up, shaking the snow from her body. In her mind's eye, there were buzzing flashes of light that zipped and crackled with anticipation over something, clouding her thoughts. Confused, she focused and just as a feeling of grave dread began to wash over her, it was shattered by a phase blast that knocked her back down into the snow. Looking up, she saw a woman stood next to her who she had only known previously by her voice: Commandant Steele.

Mordecai, Roland and Brick all moved forward as they saw Lilith fall and Commandant Steele raised her left hand, signaling them to stop. "Do not move," said Steele with a sneer pasted on her white face. The Lance soldiers raised their guns a little more to emphasize their commanding officer's order.

Steele remained standing directly next to Lilith as she stood again slowly, looking pointedly away from the commandant. Steele cocked her head to one side, flinging her stark white braids as she scrutinized Lilith and began circling the pink-haired woman. Roland watched and shook his head, marveling at the almost exact similarity between the tattoos that marked each woman, although Steele sported three blue dots under her right eye whereas Lilith did not. Brick furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his massive arms over his chest, thinking of how he could easily pull every pale limb from Steele's body with minimal effort and much satisfaction. Mordecai, on the other hand, gazed intently at Lilith's face and wondered why she seemed so strangely calm, although he wasn't surprised in the least.

"You cannot fathom how difficult this is for me," hissed Steele as she halted directly in front of Lilith and leaned forward so closely that their noses were almost touching. The commandant stared directly into Lilith's gold eyes with her own pale ones, her eyebrows arching. "To finally know one such as me, with our extraordinary gifts…it is a shame you shall not live to share your secrets with me." Steele backed away and Lilith's eyes, which had remained staring beyond the commandant finally focused on her.

"You have no idea what you're about to do, but they-"

"_They_ fought me," interrupted Steele. "They did not know how to handle the power behind the Vault." She smiled. "I do. And with the help of the Atlas Corporation, together we will harness it." Still backing away, the commandant turned and stalked up to a raised platform that faced what must have once been a mighty stone arch. Suspended in midair hung three parts of a conical stone structure marked with the Eridians' glowing heiroglyphics. Turning back to the friends, she addressed them.

"But you, YOU have failed to listen to Commandant Steele," she intoned. "I've warned you time and again, yet you persist in ignoring my orders." Shifting her gaze from Lilith, Commandant Steele eyed the three men and pointedly narrowed her eyes at Roland, the ex-Lance engineer. "The contents of the Vault are rightfully the property of the Atlas Corporation. But you? You belong to me."

Pointing at the friends again, Steele turned and raised her left arm above the platform and suddenly concentric circles of light energy shone in the air and rose around her hand, creating a pillar-like force. Within the energy field, the three pieces of the conical structure dashed together, remaining suspended in the air. With a shudder of the atmosphere, the inverted gray cone slammed itself into the floor of the platform just as the scattered pieces of the massive stone arch flew into the air and took their once rightful places along the entrance to the Vault; the newly opened portal glowed with a shimmering purple aura.

"The key works!" shouted Commandant Steele as she again faced the group on the ground below her. "Sergeant," she called to Lance soldier. "Get your men ready to go inside – Ahhhh!"

Steele screamed as something alive speared her middle, severing her spine and spraying blood that drenched the bright white snow at her feet. She continued screaming as she was lifted high into the air. In an instant, Steele shouted "Noo!" as the thing that struck her sucked her into the mouth of the most horrifying creature that any of the four Vault hunters had ever seen. A monstrous purple eye and a spiny vertical mouth dominated the body of the violet beast. Below and to the sides of its roaring maw, massive writhing tentacles destroyed the raised platform in front of it with one swipe, like petulant child destroying a block tower. In another swipe, all three of the terrified Lance soldiers were swept off the edge of the cliff, screaming.

As the creature roared again, Lilith disappeared and shot over to her friends, shoving them up against the far edge of the cliff. Realizing that they needed to make a plan and had but a few moments to do so, Roland tossed out his Scorpio turret just as an invisible force compelled him to the far wall of the area. The beast roared and raised its tentacles in the air before slamming the turret into oblivion. Realizing Roland's plan, Mordecai released Bloodwing, who could stay safely out of reach of the waving appendages.

Together, the four mercenaries huddled against a wall of stone while Bloodwing ably distracted the giant squid-like creature.

"Mordecai," said Roland. "You got to snipe that thing till you ain't got bullets left. Brick, you should unload every shell you have. Lilith, you got any insight at all into what it'll take to take this thing down?" Three pairs of eyes turned to Lilith and she smiled, the pink hue of her cheeks rising in response.

"Not a clue," she smirked. "But I know we've got their blessings. All the good that'll do us. Just shoot it."

With a nod, Roland stood and dashed to the opposite end of the natural arena, re-equipping himself with his Serpens and beginning the firestorm that would consume the group indefinitely. Brick eyed Lilith as he stood from his crouching position. She gave him a small smile and he grinned, bloodlust showing in his eyes.

"Yeah! Let's dance!" He took off for the nearest tentacle and as he passed her, Lilith turned to watch him. Pulling a hefty shotgun from his holster with one hand, Brick punched a hole into the tentacle with the other and laughed maniacally, backing up and darting around, firing and punching alternately all the while.

Lilith smiled and turned back to face Mordecai, shocked to find that he was nowhere in sight, having taken advantage of her following Brick's movements. Frustrated with herself, she pulled her favorite HellFire from her holster and took a place behind the nearest stone pillar, unleashing a volley of fiery fury on the howling beast.

On the opposite side of the arena near Roland, Mordecai was ducking behind yet another stone pillar, his small frame easily hidden. He easily fired shots into the creature's roving eye as it searched for the source of its irritation. Every now and then, the beast glowed eerily and a laser-like beam shot from its eye, destroying all it could, but the friends avoided it as they dashed about losing their hidden places and gaining new cover. After a good while, the beast's howls began to lose the intensity with which they first sounded.

"We're gettin' there," shouted Roland to Mordecai as the tentacles flailed in front of them. Suddenly a scream erupted from the other end of the field and Roland tossed two medkits to Mordecai before stepping out from behind his cover, reloading and unloading the clip on the furious beast. Catching the kits, Mordecai sprinted over to where both Lilith and Brick lay felled in the snow. He reached Brick first and jammed a hypodermic needle into his chest, awaiting a response. Mordecai's heart pounded in his head and he reached without thinking into the holster strapped to his chest and re-released Bloodwing, who screeched with pleasure upon exiting. Mordecai smiled and stabbed Brick with the second kit. With a jolt, Brick shot up and roared, echoing the creature in the Vault. The veins in his mighty neck popped and he rushed forward toward the beast's mouth.

As he dashed for Lilith's inert form, Mordecai thought fleetingly that perhaps, just this once, that maybe it would be best if Brick didn't survive his foolhardy rushing headlong into the fight, but he shook it off as he jabbed the needle of another medkit into Lilith's tattooed left arm. Her eyelids fluttered and she sat up, feeling in the snow for her weapon. Mordecai found it first and handed it to her with a smirk. Grateful, she smiled back. As he turned to head for cover, Lilith grabbed the front of his leather vest and pulled him to her in one movement, almost drawing their lips together when a mighty roar sounded to the left of them. They turned just in time to see Brick hurl himself into the air and slam both of his fists into the purple eye of the creature. The atmosphere rippled as the beast cried its last and the tentacles finally fell and lay still. With her pale hand still gripping the front of his vest, Mordecai stood quickly and pulled Lilith to her feet at the same time. From the opposite end of the arena, Roland emerged from his cover and pumped his shimmering green rifle in the air.

"Uppin' the kill count!" he shouted, laughing. "I don't-" Roland cut himself off as he was lifted bodily into the air. Looking down, he stared into the enraged eyes of Brick. In three seconds, Brick had taken out the critically weakened creature and rushed over to Roland. Lilith and Mordecai saw it all and drew their weapons in shock.


	26. Chapter 26

"What the hell are you doing?" said Roland, dangling, his weapon drawn.

"We're done," growled Brick, low in his throat. "Now tell me where Mandy is!"

"You put me down and I'll tell you," said Roland as calmly as possible. Brick hesitated, seething.

Mordecai's mind was racing. This was too sudden, too strange…too similar to something he'd witnessed before. He saw Brick hesitate and stepped forward, motioning for Lilith to do the same; Brick didn't notice as Mordecai cautiously went to one side while Lilith covered the other, both stopping just on the edges of Brick's vision.

_He's finally cracked,_ thought Lilith. Brick's massive paws were white with straining as they held Roland up by the chest piece of his Lance armor. Roland, on the other hand, was the picture of calm, minus the S&S Serpens he gripped and pointed discreetly towards Brick's body.

From his vantage point, Mordecai could see the massive injuries lining the left side of the large man's body: he had several diagonal open wounds that oozed blood and something else…something purple. Squinting, Mordecai leaned forward. Yes, there _was_ some sort of purple fluid seeping out along with the blood. Quickly, Mordecai looked up and caught Lilith's eye. Cocking her head, she watched as Mordecai made a roundabout motion with his left index finger. Confused, she shrugged and concentrated harder as Mordecai made a movement like a talking mouth with his hand and pointed to Brick and Roland.

_He wants me to talk to them?_ She pointed to herself and Mordecai denied her thought with a shake of his head, his dreadlock ponytail swishing. He jabbed his finger at Brick and Roland again. _Oh! They talk!_ He did the roundabout motion again. _Keeping them at it._ She nodded and took another step forward, just as Brick finished thinking and shook Roland twice. "NO!" he roared. "You're telling me now!"

Lilith raised her weapon at Roland, catching his eye. She pointed the nose of the HellFire at Brick and twirled a pale finger horizontally in the air, just as Mordecai had. Roland, an expert at stealth language, nodded.

"Brick," he said, his voice betraying not a shred of unease. "I'll tell you, but it's kinda complicated. You sure you don't want to wait until we TC ourselves a vehicle and I'll set up a waypoint?"

Brick just narrowed his eyes and snarled. Roland raised an eyebrow and shrugged as best he could. "Whatever you want, man. Ok," he stared into Brick's eyes. "You're gonna have to pay close attention, 'cause they're kinda confusing." Brick nodded and Roland continued, slowly giving out overly detailed directions to a secret Crimson Lance base that was almost impossible to locate on the opposite end of Pandora; Brick remained intense and seemed extremely focused as he listened.

While Roland explained what had to be exaggerated imaginary directions, Mordecai edged away from his friends and, when he was certain Brick didn't care, dashed back to the felled creature. There, he leaned in and began quickly inspecting the carcass.

Lilith saw Mordecai sprint out of her range of vision and she wanted to follow him, but someone had to stay and watch over Roland. She hoped Mordecai knew what he was doing before refocusing herself to stand guard over the ex-soldier.

While exploring the plains and expanses of Pandora, Mordecai had seen all sorts of strange and dangerous creatures as well as the remains of their victims, maimed victims and near-victims. Once, while he was out scoping a group of bandits he planned on eliminating (for a bounty, of course) in the canyons near Fyrestone, he'd watched from far away as a rabid skag attacked one of the camp's few sentries. The man ended up killing the wild beast and walked away relatively unharmed, but early the next morning, the man was talking to a companion over breakfast by a fire when he suddenly lunged snarling at the other bandit. The tussle was short-lived and so was the crazy bandit and his companions unceremoniously dumped his body far from camp in a shallow ravine, rumbling about his being possessed by a strange alien spirit all the while. After they'd departed, Mordecai, fascinated, stole in close to the body, excised the man's skag-ravaged arm, and taken it stealthily in to Dr. Zed for examination. After the completion of the mini autopsy, though he wasn't positive of the exact science behind it, Dr. Zed informed Mordecai that the sickness of the creature spreads quickly through the body of the victim if the wound is deep enough and skags always bit deep. Dr. Zed's exact words were these: "The damn things slobber on ya and you're practically a wereskag…not that I would know anything about wereskags."

Looking at the mouth of the dead purple "squid" confirmed Mordecai's suspicions: Brick was infected. There, in the beast's maw was an oozing purple slime that smelled awfully like skag vomit; the exact thing that was spread in Brick's wounds. Turning swiftly, Mordecai grabbed handfuls of snow and ran straight up to Brick's side, jamming the clean snow into the large man's gaping wounds. In that same second, Brick dropped Roland mid-word, turned and lunged at Mordecai. _Whump._ Lilith shot forward and phase blasted Brick off of his feet, sending him sideways into a snowdrift.

"Wash out his cuts…on his side!" yelled Mordecai as Brick regained his footing, lunging again for the sniper. Releasing Bloodwing, Mordecai ducked and ran. He pulled out a small caliber repeater that was sure to do no real damage to the massive Brick and started firing aimlessly at him, confusing the single-minded monster Brick had become.

Lilith and Roland dashed about, throwing snow and trying to get close enough to Brick to clean the oozing wounds in his side. Roland, seeing the futility of their efforts as Bloodwing frantically dove and soared above his head, began thinking of ways to subdue Brick, for even a few minutes and, suddenly, he had it. In a flash, he'd pulled about 6 medkit needles from his holster and started throwing them one by one at Brick's back, sides, arms, anything in range. A few stuck and some fell off, so he pulled out more and continued. Lilith saw what he was doing and followed suit before he yelled at her: "Push the plungers!" She nodded and disappeared, dashing forward invisibly to smack at the embedded needles. In minutes of the first injected needle, Brick was faltering and soon fell face-first into the snow. When he did, his friends stopped and gathered around him.

Mordecai eyed Roland gratefully and Roland smiled. "The kits. We used to use them in Basic for pranks. Too much serum'll knock even Skagzilla out."

Lilith nodded. "What the…?" She looked at Mordecai, who shook his head.

"He's ok. Infected. We'll take him to a doctor and he'll be fine."

"Too bad he couldn't enjoy his good work," said Roland, indicating the dead beast.

"No matter. Now we've got to get him back down the mountain…without a car," smiled Lilith. "And you two are just the two to do it." She stood, brushed the snow from her pants and headed for the portal back down the mountain. "And when he's ready, we'll take him to Mandy, like you promised."

Roland nodded reluctantly. "That won't be quite as easy as I let on," he said, frowning as he tried hefting Brick's body.

"I know," said Lilith. "Nothing's ever _that_ easy." She winked, flashed a dazzling grin at her two friends and stepped into the portal, leaving them to deal with Brick.


	27. Chapter 27

Bringing the unconscious Brick down the mountain proved to be no mean feat for Mordecai and Roland, although neither showed it. Lilith, who had only teased them about leaving them behind, stuck close by, on watch for any impediments to their slow descent back down the mountain. When they reached the arena where the epic first battle between the Crimson Lance and the aliens took place, Roland called for the group to stop and rest for a bit while he used leftover Lance supplies to create a sled to move Brick more easily through the snow.

"Have you ever done this before?" asked Mordecai as he eyed Roland's pile of scavenged supplies.

"Sure," said Roland. "There ain't nothing a prepared soldier can't handle and these guys at least had the right kind of equipment here." He gestured as he dug through a crate next to Brick's sleeping form. Mordecai nodded and looked around at the carnage he'd helped create. He stepped around the bodies of soldiers and aliens alike, picking up useful weapons and medkits as he went. As he headed around one of the tall marked columns in the center of the arena, he stopped, feeling eyes watching him. He smiled. "Hide and seek's over, Princess," he said quietly.

_Whump._ Lilith appeared directly in front of him on the opposite side of a downed soldier. "You're getting good at that," she smirked, tossing her pink hair.

"I always know when you're around," he said, reaching down to remove a nice Bruiser from the still pliable fingers of a dead soldier.

Lilith looked down at her hands and picked at her nails. "I'm willing to bet that you can feel when they're here too, can't you." He nodded. "I thought so," she said as she kicked a body, her voice slightly downcast.

Looking back up at her, Mordecai shook his head. "I don't know where they are, but I can feel their presence. Mostly," he smirked at her. "Surprised me in the first cave, though." Seeing her confused expression, Mordecai prompted her. "You shoved me, but you _did_ save me the injustice of being almost killed. Thanks."

"It wasn't supposed to happen like that," she said, looking over Mordecai's shoulder. He turned to see the body of a large blue Eridian splayed out in the snow behind him. Turning back to Lilith, he asked, "Supposed to?"

He'd seen her strange glow, her touches of a somewhat-psychic ability, her gravitation toward the Vault – he'd seen it all and asked not a single question until now.

Her golden eyes slowly moved back to his face and she stared into his lenses. "That first alien…it asked me questions. Well, sort of questions. It also gave me the impression that if we were nothing like the Lance that had come in earlier, we could continue on, unharmed, to try and stop Steele, but-"

"It lied," interrupted Mordecai.

"No," she said, pointing at him. "YOU wanted to ransack the Vault and that's exactly what they didn't want us doing. They were trying to save us from the same fate that was awaiting that Lance b**** and we could have made it there a hell of a lot faster than we did if YOU hadn't been thinking that!"

Mordecai shook his head and smiled. "You don't know what you're saying, Princess, but I can honestly tell you I wasn't thinking about the Vault when you pushed me."

"Yeah," said Roland, coming up beside the arguing pair. "He was probably thinking about getting you back. I had to stop him from chasing your pretty butt down," he laughed before turning serious, his dark eyes bright. "Trust me, it was Brick. But we need to get moving. We're restocking kits, but I don't know how long they're gonna hold Brick there," he pointed to Brick, who was now strapped tightly to a passable makeshift sled. "We need to get him to a doctor."

Lilith rolled her eyes, still fuming. "He's a big boy. He can handle his own until we get there."

Roland shook his head and headed back to Brick. "You can't let it get to you now, Lilith. You got to let it go."

Lilith took a deep breath and readied herself to phasewalk when Mordecai grabbed her wrist. "Listen," she said yanking her arm out of his grasp. "I'm sorry. For earlier. For yelling. For pushing you. For not…I'm just…it's just this place," she gestured about. "The residual energy's got me all screwed. I need to get out of here."

Her eyes were wide and upset. Mordecai had to look away and nodded, thinking. He turned and went to help Roland drag Brick's heavy body.

On the way out, Lilith cleared their path of bodies and debris as they wound their way silently, slowly back out of the area. The ascent through the caves that they had come through was rough with Brick's enormous body posing quite a problem, but eventually the trio made it, with Brick still pleasantly unconscious. Upon reaching the Salt Flats, Lilith dashed out and retrieved their Lancer and the group began the trek back to New Haven.

"He's like a big baby," said Lilith, looking at Brick's scarred yet peaceful face as he lay in the back of the Lancer, stretched out across the space left by the hastily removed backseats.

"Yeah, he's a baby all right," said Roland from the driver's seat. "With a one-track mind just like one, too. You ever seen a kid thinking about a treat? Ain't nothing gonna distract him until he gets it. That's just the way he is."

Lilith, seated on the floor, saw Brick's eye twitch. She whipped out a medkit hypodermic and forcefully stabbed his upper arm with it. Mordecai shifted in his seat and Roland watched the action through the rearview mirror.

"That should be it, Lilith. We can't risk too many of those. I don't know his medical history, his stats, nothing. You may not like what he was thinking when that alien saw into his head, but you don't want him to die, do you?"

Lilith raised her eyebrow. "Well…"

"Girl…" warned Roland.

"No," she said, smiling. Seated above her in the blast seat, Mordecai didn't smile. Roland saw that in the rearview mirror as well.

"So," prompted Roland. "These infected people…how long do they usually have after they've been bitten?"

"Day or two," replied Mordecai. "Depending on the animal."

"And the size of the person," nodded Roland, returning his eyes to the road. "See, we didn't have these problems in the service. The armor, the amount of people…If something got through those, the man didn't live long enough to show symptoms regardless."

"Then you're in for some field school if you're going to stick it out without those safeguards from now on," said Mordecai, spinning the chamber of his favorite Masher.

Lilith glanced up at Mordecai. "You've seen a lot out there, haven't you?"

"Haven't you?" he replied.

Lilith sighed and leaned her back against the driver's seat, adjusting her shirt and vest. "I've seen enough, but I've gotten a little too 'focused' over time, if you couldn't tell back in the caves."

Mordecai nodded. "I've never seen anything like that thing in the Vault, though." He looked pointedly at her and Roland waited to hear her answer.

As she spoke, Lilith stared at the floor of the Lancer. "They called it the destroyer. It was put there for…hell, I'd call it safekeeping. The same aliens that gave me my powers trapped that thing in there when it threatened to destroy this planet. They don't have the ability to kill it themselves, as only their shields are strong and once those are gone, they're practically defenseless. You've seen that for yourself." She adjusted the shinguards on her tall brown boots. "They tried to tell her, but she didn't listen."

"She was in control," said Roland as he stopped the vehicle outside New Haven, having used the Crimson Lance's hidden back roads around Pandora. "She never would have admitted that anyone knew something she didn't. Too bad that damned thing got her b**** ass before I did."

Lilith smiled, but Mordecai noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes. She hit a transport button and emerged on the outside of the car. Mordecai grabbed a hold of Brick's pallet and did the same while Roland followed suit.

"Well, well, well," said Dr. Zed as Roland and Mordecai dragged the comatose Brick into the infirmary. "What have we got here? A little too much to drink? One too many bullets to the head? There's nothing I can't handle! Well, except that last one, that is." He laughed heartily at his own joke until he realized that none of the three friends were laughing.

Dr. Zed cleared his throat and gestured at a gurney over by his cluttered desk. "Just put him over there and we'll see if old Zed can't fix him up right." Mordecai and Roland obeyed, heaving Brick's hefty form onto the gurney, which groaned in protest at the weight they expected it to support.

Dr. Zed examined Brick by poking him repeatedly with a forefinger. Taking a swig from a flask he kept in his pocket, Dr. Zed stood up straight and looked Roland in the eye. "Yup. Good and dead. Nothing I can do. Sorry. That'll be-"

"What?" exclaimed Roland. "He ain't dead, fool! He's in a temporary unconscious state that we induced with YOUR medkits." He jabbed a finger at the "good" doctor. "We did it because he was infected by that Destroyer thing in the Vault!"

"Oh! That!" Dr. Zed chuckled. "That's a simple fix." He playfully smacked Brick's shoulder and Roland narrowed his eyes. Zed patted Brick to atone for the slap.

"Well?" prompted Roland.

"Well what?" asked Zed, taking another swig.

"That easy fix you mentioned. What is it?"

"Oh, that. Well...I don't have it here." He took another swig and emptied the flask, shaking it forlornly before replacing it in the pocket of his apron. "You'll need to get it first."

"Ok. I'll run and go get it while you two wait here with Brick and-"

"Now now, soldier. It ain't that simple," intoned Zed.

Roland, exasperated, turned back to the doctor. "And why's that?"

"My brother has it down at Jakob's Cove. It's really his 'quick fix,' but don't let that worry you none. It's as good as anything I can cook up." 

"Somehow I'm not comforted," said Lilith, glancing over at Mordecai, who grinned.

"No, no...it's good. I just can't get it for you. My brother is a little...let's say pissed...at me right now. You go, get it, and I'll keep watch over your fine friend here who'll be nice and ready for you when you come back. I will have to charge you for the time he stays here, though. Rules." Zed nodded and looked at Roland, Lilith and Mordecai. "That work for you?"

Roland looked over at Mordecai, who nodded, intrigued. The Cove was one place he hadn't yet been to. Lilith shrugged.

"All right," replied Roland, smiling.

"Have a nice trip and don't tell my brother that I sent you!" called Zed as the three left his infirmary, bound for Jakob's Cove and whatever awaited them there.


End file.
